The Princess of Tennis
by ButterflyDiva3
Summary: UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITING. ON HIATUS UNTIL EDITING IS COMPLETE.
1. A Challenge to Change a Life

The bell rang and class was finally over for the day. Everyone filed out, and as usual, Ryoma and his friends were headed for the tennis courts. Sayomi quietly trailed behind Ryoma as she always did, but today she decided it would be different.

"Ryoma Echizen!"

"...Who are you?"

"My name is Sayomi. Sayomi Shihobu. I'd like to play a match against you in tennis."

"Is she serious?" he muttered to himself in english.

"Don't you mutter 'is she serious' in english and not expect me to understand! I come from Canada and I'm fluent in english too!"

As english was their first language, Ryoma began speaking to her in english.

"Calm down."

"I want to play against you in tennis."

"Sayomi, do you even know who that is?!" Kome hissed.

"Of course I do."

"Are you sure you want to play against him?"

"Kome, I'm sure about this."

"So Ryoma, do you have the time to play a quick match with me?"  
"Sure."

By the time they arrived at the tennis courts, Horio and Kome were frantic.

"You aren't seriously going to play a _girl _are you?!"

"You're not really planning for play _Ryoma Echizen _are you?!"

"Why shouldn't I?" Ryoma and Sayomi replied at the same time.

"She's a _girl_, Echizen!"

"He's _Ryoma Echizen_!"

"So?"

"So she's...well she's...she's a girl!"

"So he's Ryoma Echizen!"

Sayomi sighed and handed her coat to Kome. She put her hair into a ponytail and pinned her bangs to the side.

"One more thing, Ryoma."  
"I'm listening."

"I want to play for a prize."

"What prize?"  
"If I win, I get a date with you." Sayomi smirked.  
"And if I win?"

"You win whatever you want."

"If I win, you have to cut your hair." Ryoma smiled wickedly.

Horio and Kome gasped. Everyone knew how much Sayomi loved her knee legnth hair and how long it took her to grow it out.

"Sayomi, are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, Shihobu, you're always talking about how you love your long hair and how you'd never cut it!"

Sayomi thought for a long moment.

"Deal."

Horio and Kome gasped again.

"But Shihobu, you know you're going to lose!"

"I have faith in you, Sayomi."

"You know as well as I do that she's going to lose!" he whispered.

"Well excuse mefor trying to be optomistic!"

Sayomi cleared her throat.

"You might be whispering, but I can still hear you!"

"Sorry." both said at once.

"Seriously, Shihobu, do you really want to do this?"

"Will you stop asking me if I'm sure I want to do this?! If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have asked!"

"Don't blame me when you have to cut off your hair..."

"Kome!"  
"Sorry."

"Are you ready to start?"

"I'm ready."

As Ryoma casually strolled onto his side of the court, Sayomi timidly stepped onto hers. As she got into position, it was as if you could see her personality changing. The grip on her racket strengthening, the determination burning in her eyes, the desire to win igniting her soul. Ryoma spun his racket.

"Call it."  
"Smooth."

"It's rough, I choose."  
"Who's serving first?"  
"You are."

Sayomi served a quick, but not very powerful serve, which was easily returned by Ryoma.

"More power." Ryoma said.

Sayomi returned the next ball with all her stregnth and hit it just past the line.

"Too much."

Sayomi continued returning his shots, using the tips he was giving her, and matching him point for point. Soon it was time to switch courts, and Ryoma's turn to serve. He served regularily, Sayomi again matching him point for point. Finally, he decided it was time for the twist serve. She tried her best to return it, the ball barely making it over the net. Ryoma had a perfect opportunity to lob it to the back of the court, so that Sayomi wouldn't be able to reach it. He hit the ball deep. Too deep. The ball went just past the line. Both walked up to the net and shook hands.

"I'm impressed, Sayomi-chan."

"Thank you. I did much better than I thought. I was afraid I'd have to cut my hair."

"Well, looks like you don't. But what's more impreesive is that you managed to do it with your right hand."

"How did you know that I'm-"

"So where am I taking you for our date?"

"How about we just hang out at one of our houses?"

"Sounds good to me. Whose house and when?"  
"Yours maybe? And I guess tomorrow?"

"What time?"

"I guess we could walk home together and just walk over to your house."

Horio and Kome looked at each other, unable to understand what Ryoma and Sayomi were saying.

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"I don't know, I don't speak english!"

"Well neither do I!"

"So what do you think they're saying?"

"Good job? How should I know?!"

Ryoma and Sayomi glanced at their friends and laughed.

"We were talking about the match." Sayomi translated.

"Which was amazing, you managed to beat Echizen!"

"Shut up, Horio! You make it sound like she was bound to lose!"

"Well she kinda was!"

"I'm still standing right here!"


	2. A Date of Many Secrets

The next day after class, instead of heading to the tennis courts, Ryoma headed home with Sayomi.

"He's so cute..." Sayomi muttered to herself in french.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, just thinking out loud."

"Well next time think in english so I hear you thoughts." Ryoma chuckled.

Sayomi walked quietly, holding her books in one hand and sheilding her eyes from the afternoon sun using the other. Soon, she found Ryoma's cap placed atop her head.

"Playing tennis would be harder if you were blind."

"Um...thanks."

"Like I said, tennis would be a lot harder if you were blind."

She went back to carrying her books with both hands. Finally, after what seemed like long quiet hours, they arrived at Ryoma's house.

"Hey dad, I'm home." he called.

Nanjiro poked his head out the door.

"Ooh, you brought home a girl! Who is she?"

"A friend."  
"From where?"  
"School."

"A girlfriend?"

"No."

"Dating?"

"Sorta."

"Ooh, a girlfriend-to-be!"

Ryoma turned to Sayomi and sighed heavily.

"Shit...we probably should have gone to your house..."

"Nope, it proably would have been worse at my house." she shook her head.

Nanjiro was buzzing around the two.

"So, when did you meet?"

"Yesterday."  
"How'd you meet her?"

"She's in my class."

"When did you decide to start dating?"

"Yesterday."  
"You just met her and you're already dating her? A ladies man, just like your father!"

"It wasn't completely of my own free will."

"So how did it happen?"

"She sorta...won me." he couldn't think of how to phrase it.

"You won him? How'd that happen?" he turned to Sayomi.

"Tennis match."

"You put yourself up as a prize?!" he turned back to Ryoma.

"Sorta..."

"So who was the match between?"

"Us..."

"You lost? It looks like my tennis skills haven't rubbed off on you after all!" he chuckled.

Ryoma sighed and walked inside, Sayomi following him. He showed her to his room.

"I've got a confession, Sayomi."

"What is it?"

"I let you win yesterday."

"What?"

"When I hit the ball out. I did it on purpose."

"Why would you want to lose on purpose?"

"So I could get a date with you."

"But...why didn't you just ask?"

"At first, I intended to win. But as the match went farther, I got more and more impressed with you."

"So then you threw the match...but when did you decide to do it?"

"After you hit back my twist serve."

"But it barely made it over the net."  
"But you still managed to hit it. And with your right hand."

"If you knew I was left handed...then why did you hit the twist serve with yor right hand? Doesn't it have to be hit with the opponent's dominant hand?"

"It's simple, I didn't know you were left handed. You were playing with you right hand, so I assumed you were right handed."

"I noticed you were playing with your right hand too. I know for a fact that you're left handed. You were going easy on me, right?"

"Why were _you _playing with your right hand?"

"I was trying to improve my skill using my right hand."

Ryoma picked up a racket and hit a tennis ball continuously against the wall.

"I did a little research last night."

"About what?"

"About you, Sayomi-chan."

"What exactly did you find out?" she asked nervously.

"That you're the best junior female player in North America."

"Oh, yeah...about that..."

"Why did you tell anyone?"

"I...um..."

Ryoma handed the racket and ball to Sayomi.

"Show me how accurately you can hit it. With your left hand."

Sayomi nervously hit the ball against the wall 10 times, in the same place each time.

"I'm impressed. Now show me with your right hand."

She switched the racket to her right hand and hit the ball again, but this time, not quite as accurately. The ball went in about a 3 cm area.

"I still think you should cut your hair. You'd look cuter with short hair."

"Cute...er? That means...you think I'm already cute." Sayomi blushed.

"That's right. But don't tell anyone." he winked.

"_Wow...he thinks I'm cute too..._"she thought.

"So what about me?"

"Huh?"

"What about me, Sayomi-chan? How are my looks?"

"Oh...I..I think you're cute too..." she could feel the blush on her face growing.

"Better looking than Tezuka-senpai?"

"Huh?"

"Horio likes you. Never shuts up about you. Said something once about you liking Tezuka-senpai."

A slight look of disgust replaced Sayomi's blush.

"Horio likes me?"

"I'm pretty sure. Some days, you're all he ever talks about."

"Ew...you sure you were supposed to tell me that?"

"Haven't got a clue. But what we talk about on a date doesn't concern him, right?"

"I guess you're right."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"You're both really cute..."

"You're just avoiding the answer." he laughed.

Sayomi checked her watch. It was already 5:30.

"What's the matter, got somewhere to go?"

"Yeah, home. I usually get home from the tennis courts around this time."

"Want me to walk you home?"

"Nah, I'll just go home like it was a normal day. My parents don't know about this date, remember?"

"One more thing."

Ryoma scribbled something onto a tennis ball and threw it to her.

"_Cut your hair, Cutie_" it read.

Sayomi laughed and threw the ball back at him.


	3. And the Secret Spreads

That day before class, Sayomi was talking to Kome, as usual.

"Good morning, Sayomi-chan!"

"Good morning, Kome-chan!"

"Hey, can you do me a favour?"  
"Sure, what do you need?"  
"Can you teach me some english?"

"Why do you want to learn english all of a sudden?"

"Just so I can say that I speak english."

Sayomi sighed, then laughed.

"You're so random, Kome-chan..." she muttered in english.

"That was english, right? What did you say?"

Kome got out her notebook and a pen, ready to write down the phrase.

"I just said you're so random, Kome-chan." she translated.

"One more thing."

"What?"  
"How do I write english words?"

Sayomi laughed again and wrote down the phrase in Kome's book in english, then translated into japanese. As she was writing, a tennis ball rolled toward her feet, with a note pinned to it.

"_Sayomi,_

_You left this at my house yesterday. Don't forget about what it says!_

_-Ryoma_"

The note was written in english, and Kome was curious as to what it said.

"Tell me, tell me! Please?"

Sayomi laughed and scribbled something on the bottom of the note.

"Ooh, you're writing something back? What's that say? Who was it from anyway?"

"God, Kome, you're hyper today!"

"I'm not hyper, I'm curious!"

Sayomi rolled the ball back over to Ryoma.

After class, Kome was still asking about the note.

"Please tell me?"

"No."  
"Please?"  
"No!"  
"Please?"  
"Don't you think I would have told you if I wanted to?"

As Ryoma headed for the tennis courts, Kato and Mizuno buzzed around him like mosquitoes.

"Echizen, is it true?!"  
"Is what true?"  
"Is it true you got beat by a girl?!"

"Yeah, yeah, Sayomi beat me a couple of days ago."

"Wait, Sayomi?"

"That cute girl in our class Sayomi?"

"Sayomi Shihobu?"

"Yeah."

"So Horio was actually telling the truth about that?!"

"Yeah."

"So how'd it happen?"  
"I hit the ball out and she won. No big deal."

Ryoma shrugged and continued walking, hoping that was the last of Kato and Mizuno's questions. However, the two still followed Ryoma, continuing to ask him questions.

"Horio said you were playing for prizes! What would you have won?"  
"Sayomi would have had to cut her hair short."

Kato and Mizuno gasped. They too knew how Sayomi loved her knee legnth hair and how long it took her to grow it out.

"But Echizen, that's just..."  
"That's just mean!"

"Why? I think she'd look better with short hair."

"So what did she win?"  
"Yeah, what prize was she playing for?"

"A date."  
"With who?"  
"Me."

"What?!"

"She won, and I went on a date with her."

After hearing this, Kato and Mizuno were suddenly very interested in Ryoma's personal life.

"Where'd you go?"  
"What'd you do?"  
"Are you going on another date with her?"

"Did you kiss her?"  
"Are you going to kiss her?"  
"Do you like her?"

Kato and Mizuno asked a barrage of questions, one after the other.

"My house, talked, no, no, no, no."

Although most of his answers were truthful, Ryoma calmly lied about a few things. While he was being interrogated by his friends, Sayomi's seemed to have heard about the date as well.

"So tell us about it Sayomi!"

"Yeah, Kome said you beat Ryoma 2 days ago, so spill!"  
"Oh, yeah, I did."

"Tell us about it!"

"It was a close match. He used his twist serve and-"  
"He used his twist serve?! Did you hit it?"  
"Tomo-chan, will you shut up?! You're interrupting Sayomi!"

"Sorry Sayomi, keep going!"

"As I was saying, he used his twist serve and I managed to hit it, but it barely got over the net. And then Ryoma hit it way to the back of the court, but it went out."

"And Kome said you played for prizes!"  
"So what'd you win?"

"I went out with him..."

"Went out?!"  
"Like a date?!"

"Yeah..."

Sayomi laughed nervously as Sakuno and Tomoka gasped, then giggled in excitement.

"So what did you do?"  
"Where did you go?"

"Isn't he just so amazing?"  
"Are you going to go out with him again?"

"Is he a good kisser?"  
"We talked at his house, I don't know if we'll go out again and I didn't kiss him."

"What?! You didn't kiss him?!"

"So what did you talk about?"

"The match..."

"You say that like there's a secret!"

"Tell us, tell us!"

"I can't."

Sayomi got up and walked away, Sakuno and Tomoka still following her.

"How about this: if you can get Ryoma to tell you, you'll know."

"But Ryoma will never tell us!"  
"That's the point. What we talk about isn't any of your buisness."

"Well then...what would Ryoma have won?"

Sayomi stroked her har and ran a few fingers through it. Sakuno and Tomoko gasped and looked at each other.

"Don't tell me..."  
"He was going to make you cut your hair short?!"

Sayomi looked down at her hair and almost cried.

"I was so scared I'd have to cut it..."

"But no worries, you won and got to go out with Ryoma!"

"Hey, we should go over to te tennis courts and see if he'll go out with you again!"

Sakuno and Tomoka excitedly dragged Sayomi to the tennis courts.

"Hi, Ryoma!"  
"...Who are you?"

"I'm Tomoka, remember? I'm a friend of Sakuno and Sayomi!"

"So what do you want?"

"You should go out with Sayomi again!"

Knowing that his friends, as well as Sayomi's, were around, he graciously declined.

"The date yesterday wasn't exactly of my free will."

"But you can go on another date with her that _is_ of your free will!"

Tomoko continued pestering him until he finally gave in.

"If I go out with her again, will you shut up?"

"Yes!"

"Fine."

Ryoma sighed and began speaking english with Sayomi.

"Where do you want to go? Your house this time?"

"No way, my parents would try and find every flaw in you and tell me why I shouldn't date you."

"But nowhere public. I don't want to risk anyone seeing us."

"Yeah. The regulars probably wouldn't let you hear the end of it."

"Especially Eiji-senpai."

"He's the redhead that acts like a cat, right?" Sayomi laughed.

"That's him."

"I think it's kind of cute." she smiled.

"In my opinion, it's a little bit weird."

"Weird. But in a cute way."

"I get it, you think Eiji-senpai's cute too."

"And Fuji, the way he's always smiling. Kinda makes you want to smile too." she immitated Fuji's smile.

"We still need to figure out where to go."

"Oh, yeah, that's right."  
"I guess we could go to my house again. We never did get to play a proper match."

"But don't hold back this time."  
"Same goes for you, Sayomi-chan."

Sayomi turned to walk away, but Sakuno and Tomoka prevented her from taking even a step farther.

"So, where are you going?"  
"What are you going to do?"

"When-"  
"Will you two shut up? My personal life isn't exactly your buisness you know." she laughed.

"We can't help but be nosy, we're your friends!"

"Okay, well we're going to his house again and we're going to play a real tennis match." she explained in english.

"We don't speak english!"  
"Hey, you never said I had to tell you in japanese!"

After pestering her quite a bit, Sakuno and Tomoka finally decided to let Sayomi leave. She decided to wait for Ryoma as he gathered his things.

"What's the matter, got something to tell me?"

"Sorta."

"What is it?"  
"When's the next time the regulars will be at the courts? I haven't seen them in a while."

"Heh heh, you like my teammates?"

"I never said that!"  
"Or is it just one?"  
"I never said that!"

"Which one is it? Tezuka-senpai? Eiji-senpai? Fuji-senpai? Or maybe-"

"Ryoma-kun, stop that!"

"Sorry. So why do you want to know when the regulars will be at the courts?"

"Well everyone's always anxious to watch them play...and they're just so...cool." she sighed heavily.

"Heh, and I thought you were different."  
"What do you mean by that?!"

"You were dreaming about the regulars."

"Oh be quiet!"

Sayomi abruptly turned around and stormed off.

"Oops, looks like I upset her...oh well."

Ryoma shrugged and began walking home, wondering what had made Sayomi so angry.


	4. The Regulars' Gift

The next morning before class, Ryoma and Sayomi were slipping notes back and forth.

"_What did I do to make you so mad yesterday?_"

"_You said I wasn't different than everyone else._"

"_And that's a bad thing?_"_  
_"_Not to everyone, but I got offended by it. You made me feel like I was just some girl to you. Like I wasn't unique._"

"_I'm sorry to have offended you. Let me make it up to you tonight._"_  
_"_What are you planning?_"_  
_"_You'll see..._"

"_Can I get a hint?_"

"_You're going to get something special from one of the regulars..._"

Sayomi wrote the notes without worry of Kome reading them.

"What do they say? Who are they from?"  
"Don't you think I'd have written them in japanese if I wanted you to read them?"

"Oh, I see. You don't want me reading them."  
"Well they're not exactly public property."

Sayomi read the last note and her eyes widened as she blushed a little. She couldn't focus during class at all that day. All she could think about was the note. Which one of the regulars was going to give her something? What would it be? And how would Ryoma convince them? After long, grueling hours, class was finally over. At the tennis courts, she saw Ryoma talking with the regulars. She wondered if he was convincing one of them to give her that special gift. She didn't want to ruin the surprise for herself, so she decided against eavesdropping. Instead, she decided to study Kome's notes from class.

"Why didn't you just write your own notes during class?"  
"Had something on my mind."

Sayomi had become completely absorbed in writing down Kome's notes in her own notebook. Meanwhile, Kome had been pacing back and forth, lecturing Sayomi about how she should pay attention in class so she could get good grades and be recognized for more than just tennis. After talking with the regulars, Ryoma began to head home, passing Sayomi on his way.

"See ya later."  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'll be there soon."

Sayomi hurridly finished copying down Kome's notes, then rushed off to Ryoma's place.

"Heading over to the courts now? Don't forget your rackets!"

"Thanks, Kome!"

Kome handed Sayomi's bag to her after making sure she had everything. She walked calmly to Ryoma's house, devising a strategy for her match with Ryoma. Although her mind was devising a flawless tactic, her heart was focused on Ryoma's note. She tried to continue thinking of her strategy, but the note was still in her bag, begging her to read it again.

"_You're going to get something special from one of the regulars..._"

Sayomi blushed, but shook off the feeling, trying to think of a good strategy. She'd seen Ryoma play many times, but couldn't think of a single weakness he had. She decided she would just try her best and play until somebody won. Soon after deciding this, she arrived at Ryoma's house. He was sitting under the shade of a tree, reading a tennis magazine.

"Heh, I see you've finally decided to show up."  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a little bit late."

"A little? I was worried you weren't coming."

"I'm not _that _late!"

"So are you ready for that surprise?"

"Sure!"

Ryoma took her inside, putting a blindfold on her before leading her to his room. He sat her on the bed and began to speak.

"Okay guys, she's here."

He was pretending to speak to the regulars, who weren't actually there.

"Can I take off the blindfold now?"

"Soon."

He took a deep breath. His plan was going smoothly, but how long would it last? He held her by the shoulders, leaned in, and kissed her. Sayomi's face turned bright red.

"Wh-who-"

"Take off the blindfold and you'll see."

Sayomi slowly took off her blindfold to see that Ryoma was the only other person in the room.

"Wh-where are the other regulars?"

"Got another confession for you."

"What is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"The other regulars were never here."

Sayomi was completely speechless. She was amazed that Ryoma would be so spontanious, although somewhat disappointed at the absence of the regulars.

"Well, you got something special from one of the regulars." he smirked.

"Yeah..."

"What's the matter? Not the regular you wanted?" he teased.

"No, it's not that...it's just..." she clasped the bell on her collar.

"Is there another regular you're thinking of?"

"Well kinda...it's not that I'm not happy with you or anything...but..."

"But what?"  
"He's just so cute when he pretends he's a cat..." she laughed lightly.  
"Who is?"

Sayomi laughed at Ryoma's inability to distinguish his teammate's personality traits.

"You don't know who I'm talking about?"  
"Not a clue."

"He likes adding nya to the end of his sentences..."

"Still don't know."  
"The only regular with red hair..."

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"Gosh Ryoma, you're dense!"

"Just tell me."

"Calls you O'Chibi..."

"I still have no idea who you're talking about, please just tell me."

"I've got to say, you're one of the most dense people I've ever met."

"Eh, give me time, I'll figure it out. But for right now, why don't I take your mind off of that person?"

Ryoma kissed Sayomi with passion, her mind becoming fixated on only him. He pulled away quickly.

"Oh, you were talking about Eiji-senpai!"

"Took you long enough to figure it out." she giggled.

"What does he have that I don't?"

"Ooh, getting jealous?"

"No, but tell me what he has that I don't."

"Let's see...his red hair, his outgoing personality, he pretends he's a cat...he's just really, really cute!"

"Oh, so you like Eiji-senpai more than me now."

"I never said that!"

"You seem like it."

"I think you _are _jealous!"

"I never said that."

"You seem like it!"


	5. O'Chibi's Surprise

Ryoma grabbed her wrist and pulled her up off the bed.

"Hey! I never tried to rip _your _arm out of it's socket!"

"Sorry."

Ryoma dragged her out into the hallway.

"Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"Hold your bell."

"Why?"

"My dad might hear it."  
"Alright..."

She held her bell, silencing it.

"You're still grabbing my wrist y'know. Either you're doing it on purpose, or you're stronger than you think."

"Sorry."

"Where the hell are you taking me?!"

"Somewhere that my dad won't think to find us."

Sayomi's eyes widened and she blushed.

"What...the f-"  
"Don't swear."

"I wasn't going to say it..." she muttered.

"Yes you were." he smirked.

Ryoma dragged her into the storage closet and turned on the light. Karupin was happily taking a nap.

"Aww, what a cute cat!"

"Want to hold him?"  
"Can I?!"

He picked up Karupin and handed him to Sayomi. He pawed at Sayomi's neck.

"What's he doing?"  
"I think he likes your bell. Which reminds me, take that thing off."

"What?!"  
"It's got a bell, my dad could hear it."

"Then I'll hold-wait a second!"  
"Hm?"  
"What the hell are you going to do?!"  
"Stop yelling, you're too loud."

"What are you going to do?!" she hissed.

"Don't worry, Karupin won't tell..."

"But that doesn't answer my question!"

Ryoma leaned in close.

"Oh my God."  
"What?"  
"I've got a feeling we're going to be making out in about two seconds."

"You've got the right feeling."

She mewed softly, Karupin responding with a mew of his own, still pawing at Sayomi's neck.

"_It's just too bad this all has to be a secret..._" she thought.

"And by the way, Sayomi."  
"What's the matter?"  
"I'm telling Eiji-senpai what you said."

"Ryoma-kun, that's mean!"  
"But if I don't tell him, won't it be awkward when I try to set you up?"  
"Eh?!"  
"See? I can be nice."

"You'd really do that for me? But...what if he doesn't like me back or makes fun of me?"  
"You can't let that stop you. You've got to take chances. You wouldn't be here right now if you didn't take a chance a few days ago. You risked cutting off your hair for a date with me, remember. So why not take a risk for Eiji-senpai? From what you're saying, you like him _at least _as much as you like me, if not more."

"That was rather insightful. Are you _sure _you're Ryoma Echizen?" she giggled.

"All I'm saying is take a chance."  
"Okay...just don't mention my name."  
"Fine."

When Sayomi left, it was still early, so she decided to head over to the tennis courts for a few minutes. By the time she left, it was already 6.

"He's really going to try to set me up with Eiji-senapi..."

"Sayomi-chan, there you are! Coming back from the tennis courts a bit late don't you think?"  
"I lost track of time. Why, were you looking for me?"  
"Yes, I was just at your house, your mom said you weren't home yet!"

"Oh, sorry Kome-chan, I didn't realize I was the late. What did you want?"  
"You'll never guess what I just heard!"  
"What?"  
"Well, Eiji-senpai, you know, the red haired regular, he was at the tennis courts today and he told Oishi-senpai, you know, the co-captain, 'I saw this amazing little girl play. Er, not really _little_, probably in middle school. Anyway, I was about to leave when I saw her. She had this acrobatic style of playing, sort of like mine. Doing flips and dives with that long ponytail of hers whipping around everywhere. My guess is that it was probably like, knee legnth. And the most amazing thing is: she was hitting the wall in the exact same place every time! I know I'm being kind of lame acting like this over some middle scooler, but I'm telling you, she was amazing!' and I think he might have been talking about you!"

"That could be anyone. And where do you hear these things?!"

"Middle schooler, acrobatic style of playing, knee legnth hair, it sounds like you to me!"

"What? You're insane, I still think it could be anyone."

"If you don't want to beleive me, that's fine. I just wanted to tell you."

Kome and Sayomi walked off, heading home for the evening. She remembered what Kome said.

"_Could it really have been me?_" she thought.

The next morning, Ryoma did as he promised and talked to Eiji.

"Hey, Eiji-senpai, can I talk to you for a second?"  
"Okay, about what?"  
"Mind if I set you up with someone who likes you?"

"Uh...I guess not...Who're you setting me up with?"  
"She asked me not to use her name in case you declined."  
"How old is she?"  
"In my class."

"Eh...I-"

Eiji caught a glimpse of Sayomi and Kome. That day, she had her hair in a ponytail, rather than leaving it down.

"That's her."  
"What?"  
"That's the girl I saw at the tennis courts yesterday."

Ryoma looked over at the two.

"Who? Sayomi or..uh...Kome?"

"The one with her hair in the ponytail. Wait, you know them?!"

"They're both in my class."

"Could you introduce us? I'd do anything to meet her!"

Ryoma reluctantly agreed, thinking Eiji was overreacting. Eiji took a deep breath and stood before them nonchalantly.

"Hey."  
"Sayomi-chan, that's Eiji-senapi!" Kome whispered.

"I'm aware of that."

"This is Eiji Kikumaru. And that's Sayomi and...uh..."  
"Kome."

"Yeah, Kome."

"Kome-chan, Sayomi-sama."  
"Wait, wait, wait! Sama? I'm 2 years younger than you and you're calling _me _sama?"

"Oh, let me explain that. You see, I saw you pracicing at the tennis courts yesterday and you're just so amazing!"

Kome elbowed Sayomi in the rib as an "I told you so" gesture.

"Um...I'd feel more comfortable if you called me chan. Being called sama by someone 2 years older than me is really weird..."

"Whatever you say, Sayomi-chan!"

"Ryoma-kun, he's freaking me out." she whispered.

"Tone it down, Eiji-senpai." he whispered.

"Got it." he whispered back.

"So...we'll be back in a few minutes."

Ryoma pulled Eiji away from the girls.

"About that favour you owe me."  
"You introduced me to my idol, I'll do anything you want!"

"Uh...your idol?"  
"She's so amazing!"  
"Uh...yeah. I'm setting you up with Sayomi."

"What, really?!"

"Yes."

"Oh wow. You're the best, O'Chibi!"

Eiji hugged Ryoma tightly. Meanwhile, Sayomi was still talking to Kome and she decided to let her hair out.

"Oh man, she's even prettier with her hair down!"

Ryoma walked away, leaving Eiji to stare at Sayomi.

"Kome-chan." Sayomi whispered.

"Hm?"  
"Eiji-senpai is freaking me out!"

Eiji noticed Ryoma's absence. He chased after him.

"O'Chibi, wait, wait!"  
"What?"  
"When do I get to go out with Sayomi-sama?"  
"Um...tomorrow?"  
"Echizen, how can I ever thank you?!"

"I dunno. I did what I was asked to do, so I don't really care."

"You did me two gigantic favours just now, I'll do anything you want. After that, I feel like I owe you my life!"

"Uh...I'll think of something."  
"Remember O'Chibi, I owe you big time!"


	6. The Doubles Game of a Lifetime

He and Oishi approached Sayomi, rackets in hand.

"Sayomi-chan."  
"Nyu?"  
"Could you do us the honor of playing a doubles game with us? Just one quick set."  
"Doubles? But I don't have a partner."

Ryoma passed by, on his way to the tennis courts.

"Echizen could be your partner." Oishi suggested.

"Eh?"  
"Get over here, O'Chibi! Come be Sayomi-chan's partner."

"Uh...okay."

Eiji spun his racket around his wrist as he walked.

"Eiji-senpai, you're so cool! You _have _to teach me how to do that!"

Oishi looked at Sayomi in disbelief.

"_This_ _is the amazing girl he was talking about? She definetly doesn't seem that amazing. Looks like an average middle school girl to me..._"

"Are you _sure _she's all that amazing?" he whispered.

"I'm sure of it."

"Okay...because I'd feel really bad if we beat a middle schooler so badly..."

On the court, as usual, Eiji stood by the net with Oishi at the back. Sayomi decided she'd stand by the net, leaving Ryoma to cover the back. Sayomi's happy-go-lucky personality instantly changed. Her eyes narrowed and a smirk grew on her face.

"You're goin' down, cat boy." she pointed her racket at Eiji's face.

"Woah, she's like Kawamura!" Oishi commented.

"One more thing."

"Hm?"  
"We're playing for a prize."  
"And what are we playing for?"  
"The loser has to drink Inui juice!" Oishi suggested.

"That's just mean." Eiji whispered.

"What's Inui juice?"  
"It's Inui's vegetable drink that helps improve your game!"  
"Well if it helps improve your game, it can't be that bad..."  
"She hasn't tasted it..." the regulars muttered.

Knowing that Oishi was the co-captain for a reason, Ryoma started off with the twist serve, which barely slipped past him.

"Quit serving aces, I want to play!"

"Yeah, yeah."

He served a regular overhand serve, with Oishi easily returning it. Sayomi then displayed her tennis abilities, using her right hand.

"_But...she was using her left hand when I saw her...is she going easy on us?_"

Sayomi did an array of flips, dives and spins. Watching her play tennis was like watching a gymnast doing a floor routine. She hit the ball with great power, aiming for random places on the court each time. This unpredicability confused Eiji and Oishi, but they still managed to return all of her shots. She was near the middle of the court and the ball was coming in low. Now was the perfect time to try one of her flashiest moves. She would do a backflip and stand on her left hand, using her right to lob the ball to the back of the court. After doing this, she would flip backwards again, landing back on her feet. Doing so was a sight to see, but dangerous if not performed correctly. If she didn't land properly on her hand or feet, she would risk damaging her wrist and ankle. But she too knew that Oishi was the co-captain of the tennis club, and wanted to impess him. It was a risky move, but she'd practiced it many times and was almost sure she could do it. She jumped up, backflipped...

"Woah!" the regulars said.

"There it is..."

"Eiji, you've seen that?"

"Yeah...that's the move that caught my eye."

The lob flew over Eiji's and Oishi's heads, too stunned to react. She backflipped back onto her feet, her knees buckling a bit. She lost her footing and fell back into Ryoma's arms. Eiji and Oishi clasped their hands together and cooed.

"Aww, that's so cute!"

Ryoma helped Sayomi to regain her balance.

"I've never seen _that _move. What else haven't you shown me?"  
"Um...several things."

"You mean there's more awesome moves like that?!" Eiji's jaw dropped.

"Are you gonna show us?"  
"Maybe if I find the right time to do it..."

"Let's try and get her to show us those other moves!"  
"_He wasn't kidding when he said she was amazing..._" Oishi thought.

The ball sailed through the air. Sayomi knew should couldn't hit it just by standing, but if she jumped high enough, she thought she could get it. Knowing that she was expected to do something breathtaking and flamboyant, she decided to do her whirlwind smash. She jumped up, gracefully spinning like a top, and performed a powerful backhand smash. The ball soared past Eiji and Oishi, again too astonished to react.

"Incredible..." the regulars said.

"So awesome!"

Sayomi turned to see a crowd of people. Ryoma and Sayomi's classmates, the regulars, their classmates, even Coach Ryuzaki had come to watch the match.

"Oh good, an audience. Now there'll be people to witness the co-captain's defeat." she smirked.

"Go Ryoma! Go Sayomi! You two make the best doubles pair ever!"

"Shut up Tomoka, you're going to make them lose their focus!"

"The score is 40 love, Sayomi. One more astounding shot like that and we'll win."

She played as usual, waiting for a ball that was out of her reach. When one came her way, she told Ryoma not to get it. Instead, she did a simple one handed cartwheel, hitting the ball while she was on her hand.

"She's like...a gymast..."  
"An acrobat..."

"She's awesome..."

The ball shot past Eiji and Oishi like a speeding bullet.

"Woah, that was fast!"

"That must've been over a hunderd miles per hour!"

She shook hands with Eiji and Oishi, then strutted off the court confidently. The moment she stepped off, her personality returned to normal. She stared at the crowd, her eyes widening.

"Look at how many people came to see you guys!"

"Actually, I think they came to watch you."

The crowd stared at Sayomi, lingering on her every move. She blushed.

"They're all here...to see me?"  
"Oh, don't forget about the deal." Ryoma laughed.

"Oh that's right, you guys have to drink the Inui juice."

Hearing this, Inui ran off, quickly concocting a batch of Inui juice. Eiji and Oishi took the cups and looked at the thick green drink, whimpering softly.

"This is so gross..."

"Oh, hey, can you make a glass for me?" Sayomi asked.

"Oh, and one for me too!" Fuji smiled.

"But Sayomi-chan, we won, you don't have to drink it."

"I want to, they said it would help improve my game."

Inui rushed back with two more glasses of Inui juice.

"Ready?"  
"One..."  
"Two..."  
"Three!"

The four tilted their heads back and gulped down the Inui juice. Eiji and Oishi ran to the water fountains, coughing and gagging.

"I can never get enough of this, I love it!" Fuji exclaimed.

Everyone watched Sayomi, waiting for her reaction.

"What?"  
"So what do you think of it?"

"Not too bad...but it's not something I'd drink on a regular basis."

"WHAT?!"

"You don't hate it?"  
"I'd don't really like it either."

"How can you not be dying for some water right now?!" Eiji screamed.

"Because...it is't that bad..."  
"You see? I'm not the only one who likes it!"

"I never said that! I just...don't hate it."

Ryoma just stood there, bewildered.

"You drank it of your own free will...and you liked it?"

"I didn't say I liked it! I just...don't hate it."

Ryoma shook his head.

"You never cease to amaze me, Sayomi-chan." he muttered.

"_Who is that?..._" Tezuka thought.

"Oh!"

Sayomi pulled Ryoma to the side, where she hoped the crowd wouldn't be able to hear them.

"So how'd it go? When's the date?"  
"Tomorrow."

"Oh, you're the best Ryoma-kun, I love you!"

Sayomi hugged him and ran off to tell Kome. As she passed by Eiji and Oishi, who were sprawled out on the floor after drinking the Inui juice, they got up, shaking her hand.

"Congratulations on beating us, Sayomi-chan. You're very good."

"Thank you Oishi-senpai, it means a lot coming from you." she blushed.

"But I mean it, you're quite good at tennis."

"It was quite an honor being able to play against you, Oishi-senpai."

"Oh no, the honor was all ours, right Oishi?"  
"Uh...yeah, I guess."

"Listen Sayomi-chan, if there's ever anything you need, you can count on us, right Oishi?"

"I guess..."

"Do you play on any teams?"  
"Well I played on a team back in Canada...but none in Japan yet."

"Why don't you try out for Seigaku's girls team?"  
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll make it."

"Thanks...maybe I will."

Sayomi began walking home, thinking about what they had told her. She had completely forgotten that she was going to talk to Kome.


	7. The Setup

The next day at the mall, all she could think of was her date with Eiji. Kome seemed worried.

"What's the matter, Sayomi-chan? You've been spaced out for like, 10 minutes now."  
"Oh, it's just...Ryoma set me up on a date with Eiji...and I'm sorta nervous."

"What's to be nervous about, you're super cool!"  
"But Eiji-senpai is a third year and he's so cute and-"  
"Sayomi-chan, calm down. Just be yourself and I'm sure the date will go fine. In the worst case scenario, he'll hate you!"  
"Um...was that supposed to be comforting?"

"Er, well what I meant to say was...you can't really blame him if he hates the date because it wasn't really of his free will!" she laughed nervously.

"Yeah, like that's much better..." she muttered in english.

Eiji approached the two calmly and waved.

"Hi! Ready to go?"  
"Sure. But where are we going?"  
"Dunno. Wanna go get something to eat?"

"Um...okay. Bye Kome-chan!"

"Have fun Sayomi-chan! And don't forget to tell me all about it!"

Eiji showed Sayomi a few stores downtown before taking her to a small cafe. Sayomi stared down at the table, never meeting Eiji's gaze.

"Hey...what's the matter?"

"No-nothing! I'm fine, I-"  
"Tell me what's on your mind right now."

"I just-I think you're so cute and if I looked at you, I'd be blushing a lot like I am now..."

"You wanna know something?"  
"What?"  
"I think you're cute too." he winked and smiled.

Sayomi's face reddened even more.

"And you're amazing at tennis. I've never seen anyone else play like you do."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"The only other person I know that does all those flips and dives and stuff is well, me. Hell, there are some things you do that I can't."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. Do you think you could teach me some of it?"

"O-only if you teach me how you spin your racket around your wrist."

"Sayomi-sama, you are so amazing!"

Eiji stared at her, mumbling a few things. She looked at him oddly, wondering what he was saying. Noticing this, he cleared his throat.

"Why don't we go over to the tennis courts now?"

"S-sure." she was again avoiding Eiji's gaze.

"What's on your mind? You can tell me anything, and I'd love to know what you're thinking."

"What's on my mind? Well um...y-you are."

"It's not anything bad, is it?" he joked.

"No, no, nothing bad. It's just...you were all crazy for me yesterday and a little bit today and...it sort of overwhelms me...but I still..."

"You still what?"

"Even though it was kind of scary, I still feel the same way I did before."

"And how would that be?"

"You're really funny and outgoing and cute and...and..."

"Sayomi, could I ask you something?"

"Okay."

"Could I give you a quick kiss, just once?"

Sayomi's face turned bright red and she was as stiff as a baord.

"I'm dreaming...don't pinch me..."

"You're awake Sayomi-chan. So how about the answer?"

"I...I...I...yes."

"Great, you're so amazing! I mean...that's cool."

"But why don't we go somewhere less public, like maybe your house?"  
"Trust me, if we go to my house, it'll be even more public." he laughed.

"Why?"  
"Well I'm not sure if you knew this, but at my house there's my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, two older brothers and two older sisters. Plus my sister's dog and my grandma's parakeet."

"Wow, that's a lot."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"So I guess...it happens here then..."  
"Yeah..."

"Right now, my friend Leah would probably say, 'Oh would you two just make out already?!' or something along those lines." she giggled.

"Who's Leah?"  
"Just one of my friends from back in Canada."

"Oh, well then why don't we do what Leah would want?..."

Eiji awkwardly leaned in and kissed her. She put her hand to her lips and blushed again. Eiji cleared his throat.

"Now that I've gotten that out of my system..."  
"And mine..." she muttered.

"Now I don't have to go home and wonder what it would have been like."

"And um...how was it?"

"It really meant a lot to me. How about you?"  
"It meant a lot to me too. And it means a lot that you took the time to go out with me today."

"The pleasure is all mine. After I saw you practicing, I just had to meet you."  
"Y-you saw me practicing? When?"

"Two days ago when you were at the tennis courts. I was about to leave, but then I saw you...and then all this happened."

"Um...Eiji-kun, do you play singles tennis at all?"

"I don't really prefer singles-wait, you called me Eiji-kun."  
"So?"  
"You usually call me Eiji-senpai."

"Does it matter?"  
"Not really, it's just that it's a bit odd since it's not what you usually all me."

"So do you play singles?"  
"Nah, singles is too lonely for me. Why?"  
"I was just wondering if you wanted to play a quick game of singles with me..."

Eiji thought for a moment. He didn't really like to play singles, but if he accepted, he could play against Sayomi.

"I'm sorry, but singles is just too lonely for me. I'd really love to play against you again though, and O'Chibi could be your partner again."

"That'd be fun, but I really want to play singles with you. I'll make you a deal: I'll play doubles again if you play singles with me."

"Alright, fine. But not today. Maybe another time."

"Okay, I look forward to it." she smiled.

"Sealed with a kiss?" he suggested playfully.

"Eiji-senpai, you said once!"

"Aww, so that's a no?"  
"I never said that!"

Eiji slowly leaned in towards Sayomi, both their hearts pounding as they got closer.

"Now it's a promise." she smiled.

"So how about we go over to the tennis courts and you teach me some things?"

"What? I'm your kohai and you want _me _to teach you things?"

"Of course. I may be able to do a lot of flashy stuff, but so can you. And you can do more than I can!"

"I-I can?"  
"Yeah, like that one-handed cartwheel yesterday. I'll admit that I can't do that."

"Well I still want you to teach me how you spin your racket around your wrist. That's really cool."


	8. Her Secret Revealed

Eiji walked with Sayomi to the tennis courts, showing her more places on the way. He pointed out a hair salon.

"Hey, if you get the okay from your parents, I'd like to get a little something done to your hair."

"You don't want me to cut it do you?!"

"Why not? You'd look cuter with your hair short."

"It seems like everyone's telling me that..."

"Eh? Who else told you that?"

"Um...it's not that important. So what did you want to get done to my hair?"  
"Well, if it's alright with you, I wanted to get a streak of your hair dyed red. Y'know, to represent me."

"Only if you get something to represent me too..."  
"How about if I wear a collar, like you?"

"I'd like that."

Sayomi called her parents to make sure it was okay to get a streak of her hair dyed. Eiji sat on a nearby bench and waited in anticipation of the answer, which he hoped would be a yes.

"So have we got permission?"  
"I'm allowed!"

"Oh, yay!"

Eiji picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Eiji-senpai, please don't do this while we're in public!"

"Yeah, let's just go inside."

Eiji walked inside, dragging Sayomi behind him.

"Hiya, can we got a streak of her hair dyed red?"

"Sure, take a seat over there and I'll be right with you. I just have to get a few things ready."

Sayomi sat down nervously. The hairdresser came back with everything she needed to dye her hair.

"Only a streak, right?"  
"Yeah, just a streak."

"Not a problem. It should only take about a minute to put the dye in, but you'll have to wait a little while for it to set."

"Okay, then I'll be right back."  
"Eiji-senpai, where are you going?!"  
"I'm going to bring you something to do while you wait!"

Eiji ran over to the nearest newsstand and bought a tennis magazine. By the time he returned, the hairdresser had just finished putting the dye in.

"Ah, perfect timing!"

"Here, I bought you a tennis magazine. It covers international events!"

Eiji handed her the magazine and read over her shoulder.

"Check it out, they're reviewing the best junior tournaments of all time!"

"Awesome! Look, there's one from Canada! I wonder if I was there..."

Eiji looked at the picture and caption.

"It says it's from a few years ago. From the finals of the girls division. And the girl in the picture, currently the best junior female player in North America is...Sayomi Shihobu?!"

"Yep, I was there..." she muttered.

"You're the best junior female player in North America and you didn't tell me?!"

Everyone in the salon turned and looked at the two.

"Look, I didn't want people to feel like I thought I was better than everyone. If I wanted people to know, then I would have already said it. So stop yelling it."

"Did you even tell your friends?"  
"No...not even Kome knows. So please don't tell anyone..."  
"Don't worry. I'm the only one that knows, and I'll make sure it stays that way."

"Thank you."

"But this makes me wonder what else you haven't told us..."

"I'll tell you what: when we play our singles match, I'll tell you a secret every time you score a point against me."

"Sounds good to me."  
"Oh, but to be fair, you'll have to tell me a secret for every point I score."

"Oh, you're a sneaky little b-"  
"Don't call me that!"

After the dye had set and been washed out, Sayomi was ready to leave. Eiji had paid the hairdresser and continued toward the tennis courts with Sayomi. When they arrived, Eiji took his racket out and began spinning it around his wrist, looking for an empty court to practice on. When Sayomi spotted one, she instantly ran over to it in order to prevent someone else from using it. The moment she stepped on the court, you could see her change in personality.

"I know I said I didn't want to play our singles game today, but since we're playing for something now..."

"Get over here cat boy, I want to learn your secrets..."

"No matter how many times that happens, it will still freak me out."

Sayomi stood bouncing the ball, her back facing Eiji.

"What are you doing?"  
"You'll see."

She tossed the ball high into the air, jumped up, and did a midair flip, using the force of her whole body to hit the ball. It shot past a stunned Eiji and into the corner of the court. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"That's one, tell me a secret."

"Uh...let's see..."

"What's that bandage covering?"

"Nothing."  
"So why do you wear it?"

"Score another point and I'll tell you."

She played with her right hand, easily scoring another point.

"If there's nothing under the bandage, then why do you wear it."

"No reason. Why do you wear that ribbon?"

"You have to score a point before I tell you."

Feeling like she should let Eiji score a point and tell him something about herself, she didn't play seriously and did. But rather than asking about the ribbon like she expected, Eiji decided to ask something else.

"Hm...let's see...Have you ever made out with anyone?"  
"Hey, thet's personal!"

"It doesn't matter, I scored a point, so you have to tell me."  
"Ugh, fine. Yes."  
"Who?!"  
"That's another question."

Sayomi began playing seriously now, as not to allow Eiji to ask another question. Before long, she had won the game.

"Stick to doubles with Oishi, cat boy."

"Could I ask one more question?"  
"Depends on the question."  
"Are you left handed or right handed?"  
"Both."  
"But what's your more dominant hand?"  
"Why?"  
"Because when I first saw you play, you were using your left hand. But yesterday and today you've been using your right hand."

"Left."  
"So...you were going easy on us?"  
"And I still beat you!"

Eiji stepped off the court, hoping Sayomi would follow. As she did, her personality returned to normal.

"So...why were you going easy on us?"

"I'm sorry...I just wanted to get better with my right hand..."  
"Better? You're already amazing as it is!"

"I'm sorry...did you want me to play you using my left hand?"  
"What?! I can't even beat you with your right!"  
"I think we should go home now..."  
"Alright, should I walk you home?"

"Okay." she smiled.


	9. Sayomi's Journal, April 12

_Sayomi's Jorunal, Sunday, April 12,_

_Yesterday was my date with Eiji. I'm so glad that Ryoma set it up. He showed me a bunch of places downtown. I knew I'd have fun with Eiji, but I didn't think anything too big was going to happen. But I was totally wrong._

_First of all, we went to a little cafe. I thought it was going to just be a quiet lunch, but of course, Eiji is far from quiet. But with me being quiet, he asked me what was wrong like the sweet guy he is. So then I had to explain that I couldn't look at him or I'd blush. And when I told him it was because he's so cute, he told me he thought I was cute too! But as if that wasn't enough, he asked to kiss me!_

_The cafe was pretty eventful, but kissing Eiji was probably the least dramatic part of my day. When we left and he showed me more places, he showed me a local hair salon. I thought he was just going to get my hair done or something, but once again, I was totally wrong. What did I get done to my hair? I got a red streak in my hair! It's the same colour as Eiji's hair and he wanted me to get it so it could represent him. So now, I'm going to have a red streak in my hair, and he's going to wear a collar, just like I wear my ribbon._

_I got a red streak in my hair, enough eventfulness for the day, right? Wrong! While we were waiting for the dye to set, he ran over to the newsstand and bought a tennis magazine for me to read. It was covering international events. There was an article that was reviewing the best junior tournaments of this decade. One of them was the finals of the girls division from a few years ago, the one that made me the junior female champion of North America. I would have hidden the page, but of couse, Eiji had been reading over my shoulder the whole time. So now...both Ryoma and Eiji know about it._

_I know that Eiji is more of a doubles player, but I managed to get him to play singles with me. He told me that he doesn't like singles because it's too lonely for him, but he played with me anyways because he's such a sweet guy. I tried out my blind serve for the first time yesterday. I'd figured out how to do it, the probability of it working, and all that math, but I never got to try it out until yesterday, so it made me so nervous. But I decided I'd do it anyways because I knew Eiji woudn't laugh if it didn't work. But thankfully, it did work._

_He told me that he saw me practicing a couple days before at the tennis courts. I remember Kome saying that he told Oishi about it. He said I was an amazing player and that he only knew one other person that plays the way I do. He's so amazed by me, he even calls me sama, even though he's two years older than me. I've asked him not to, but he still does sometimes. It's not that I don't like it, because it really flatters me, but it just feels really weird for a senpai to be calling me sama._

_Eiji is one of the coolest people I've met in Japan. I've met tons of people at Seigaku, but none like him. He's cool, funny, sweet, friendly, everything you could want a person to be. And he comes from a pretty big family. During lunch, he told me that he lives with his mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, two older brothers, and two older sisters. And as if the amount of people isn't enough, there are pets too! His sister has a dog and his grandma has a parakeet. He must live in a pretty big house._

_Friday was the day Ryoma and I played against Eiji and Oishi. Oishi suggested that the losers drink Inui juice. He told me that it would help improve my game. Even though Ryoma and I won, I still decided to try the Inui juice. After all, it would help me improve my game. After they drank it, Eiji and Oishi ran to the water fountains, coughing and gagging, but I can't understand why. Fuji seems to love it, and I don't think it's all that bad. I mean, it's not the most delicious thing I've had, but it isn't all that bad._


	10. A New Week of Craziness

When she arrived at school on Monday, the first person to notice her hair was Ryoma.

"What happened to your hair?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"The red streak."

"Oh yeah...about that..."

"I liked your plain hair."

"Well it was sort of Eiji's way of remembering him."

"Oh well, you still look cute."

Kome spotted Sayomi and rushed over.

"Oh my gosh! Sayomi-chan, your hair!"

"Oh come on, it's not _that _different."

"There's a red streak in your hair! How can you be saying it's not that different?!"  
"Because it's just one."

"You talk too much."  
"Oh be quiet Ryoma, no one asked you anyway!"

"He's right Kome, you talk too much. I'm going to class."

Sayomi turned around and headed inside, leaving Ryoma and Kome with their shocked reactions.

After class, Ryoma slipped her a note.

"_It's been only a week since we first met,_

_but it's a moment I won't forget._

_If I didn't have this reputation,_

_I'd tell them I liked you without hesitation._

_On the outside I seem calm and cool,_

_But when I think of you I feel like a fool._

_I've never felt this way before_

_when we're together, that's what I adore._

_When you come over tonight, it won't be for kicks,_

_I've planned something special, come around six._

_P.S. This took me all day to write._

_-Ryoma_"

She decided she'd take the time to go home and write in her journal.

_Sayomi's Journal, Monday, April 13_

_It's been a week since Ryoma and I first met. It feels like such a long time ago since I first tapped him on the shoulder and challenged him. I'd heard of him before, back when I was in Canada. I think I even saw him a few times when I went to America for tournaments. When I came to Seigaku and found out he'd be in my class, I was ecstatic._

_Every day since school started, I saw Ryoma and his friends go to the tennis courts. And every day, I'd go too. I'd practice with my right hand on the closest court, while admoiring his amazing skill. Even though I'm the best junior female player in North America, I wanted to practice more and more until my skills were on par with his. He was so focused and determined, and it was so inspiring._

_I always loved watching him play. But sometimes, I wondered if I could ever beat him. I'd wonder, but I never thought I'd ever have the chance to play against him. But last Monday, something just came over me. I wanted to know so badly. I wasn't exactly confident that I'd win, but by some miracle, I did._

_It wasn't just a regular game. We were playing for something. Since I won, I got a date with him. But if I lost...I would have had to cut my hair. It was a long shot, but I took the risk. I really wanted that date with him._

_I've learned that it's good to take a few risks in life. I mean, look where just one has gotten me. If I hadn't challenged Ryoma that day, I wouldn't be going over to his house tonight for that "something special" he planned. I'm shy, but I'm going to try my best to break out of my shell and take more risks. After all, if I didn't take a risk, I never would have met Ryoma._

Since Ryoma was planning something special for her, she felt like she should do something special for him to. She looked through her closet and in the very back, she found a dress that her friend Tiffany gave her as a parting gift when she left for Japan. It was a knee legnth periwinkle blue dress with a black trim and a halter top. She tied a black obi around her waist and put on black ballerina flats. Then, she put on silver earrings and a silver locket, both in the shape of a heart. Lastly, to make the outfit even more special, she even put on a bit of makeup. Before leaving, she stuffed a small handmade Karupin plushie in her black clutch that had silver heart buckles.

When she arrived at Ryoma's house, he was once again reading under the shade of a tree in his usual t-shirt, shorts and cap.

"Um...hello." she smiled weakly.

He looked up and saw her all dressed up, not recognizing her.

"Uh..hi? Who are you?"  
"It's me, Sayomi."

"Oh...didn't see that one coming..."

"I thought I'd do something special too..."

"Well your something special definetly beats out mine."

"What is it?"  
"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise."

He took out a blindfold and covered her eyes.

"Again with the blindfold?"

"Oh be quiet. Don't you want it to be a surprise?"

"Yeah, yeah, lead me wherever."

Ryoma guided her into his room.

"Alright, take off the blindfold. I hope you haven't eaten yet."

She took off the blindfold to see a picnic blanket set up on the floor, complete with dinner, flowers and a few candles. There were even a few rose petals scattered on the blanket.

"You...you did all of this...for me?"

"Yeah..."

"You lied when you said your something special beats mine."

"You getting all dressed up like that is way better than this picnic."

"But this is so sweet!"

"The only other time I've seen you in a skirt is when you wear your uniform."

"I wear my uniform every day."

"Yeah, but it's not like that's your choice."

"Either way, this was really sweet."

"And we don't have to worry about my dad bugging us because he's not home."

"So what did you make?"

She looked at the bento in front of her.

"Open it up."

She did as she was told and found some dumplings, onigiri and a few vegetables delicately cut into flowers.

"Aww, you did that for me?"  
"I know it's not very fancy, but yeah, I made it myself."

"That reminds me, I made you something too."

She took the Karupin plushie out of her purse and gave it to him.

"It's...my cat?"

"Well, I thought that since your favourite thing in the world is Karupin, I'd make something Karupin related."

"What did you use for a reference? I never gave you any pictures of my cat."

"Who said I used a reference?"

"But all the detail..."  
"All from memory."

"Just makes you all the more amazing..."

Without hesitation, she ate one of the vegetable flowers.

"Mmm, I love cucumbers! How did you know? I never told you."

"You'd be surprised at how much information you can find on the internet."

"But that doesn't nessicarily mean it's accurate information."

"In which case, it was just a lucky guess."

"Hey...yours is different..."

"Not as carefully made as yours." he laughed.

"You've got sashimi!"

"Is that a bad thing?"  
"No...but I like sashimi..."

"Then you can have a piece of mine..."

He picked up a piece and fed it to her.

"I bet everyone else would have thought that was cute."

"I try to create a moment for just the two of us, and you're still thinking about the others?"

"I'm sorry...I just thought it was a cute moment..."

"So let's have another cute moment...hopefully this one keeps your mind on us."

He took a piece and put it in his mouth, then kissed her, allowing her to eat the other half.

"Gosh, could you _be _any cheesier?" she laughed.

"Well that depends, do you like it?"  
"Yes."

"Alright, then let's see what I can come up with...I need a map because I'm getting lost in your eyes."

"Okay, that line was _seriously _clichéd!"

"But it still made you blush."

"Oh be quiet, I'm not blushing_ that _much."

"If you blush any more, I might mistaken you for a tomato."

"So should I say something super cheesy too?"

"If you want."

"It's not so much cheesy as it is sentimental."

"So let me hear it."

"A week ago, I'd rather be hanging out with Kome than doing anything else..."  
"_That's _your idea of sentimental?"  
"I wasn't done yet!"

"Go on, I'm listening."

"A week ago, I'd rather be hanging out with Kome than doing anything else...but right now, there's no where else I'd rather be than here with you."

"Let me continue that by saying that no matter where we are, I'm happy, as long as I'm with you."  
"Ryoma-kun, you're so sweet! You've changed a lot in this past week."

"I haven't changed at all, I've merely shown you another side of me."

Karupin entered the room, meowing to acknowledge his presence.

"He's the only one who's ever seen this side of me, besides you."

She picked up Karupin and stroked his soft fur.


	11. Homesickness Hits

"Oh hey, we never got to play our serious match yet. Wanna do it now?"  
"But we just ate, and I'm not dressed for it, and I didn't bring my racket, and-"  
"No worries, you can borrow my stuff."

Ryoma handed her everything she would need: a t-shirt, shorts and a racket.

"But it's 7 o'clock at night!"  
"So we'll just play a quick game for fun. So go get changed."

He pushed her in the direction of the bathroom.

"Unless you want to change in there with me." he teased.  
"No, I'll change in the bathroom. Unless you want me to change in there with you." she stuck her tongue out.  
"Now wouldn't that be nice?"

After changing and being pushed outside to the tennis courts, she was still protesting.

"But I won't be able to run properly in my flats and-"  
"Then you can borrow a pair of my sneakers."  
"But your feet are bigger than mine and they won't fit!"  
"Then you play barefoot."  
"But what if I step on a rock or something and hurt my foot? Or if-"  
"How about we just play for five minutes, then we'll go back inside."  
"Okay, fine. But I won't be able to tie my hair out of the way, so don't blame me if I can't see."

They played for five minutes as Ryoma said, merely practicing simple volleys.

"Okay, that's five minutes, now we go back inside."  
"Fine, fine. But you're putting that dress back on."  
"But I hate wearing dresses!"  
"But you looked cute! Plus, you're wearing my clothes."  
"Details, details."  
"Alright fine, I'll let you wear them. Just make sure you change before you go home."

They went back inside and played with Karupin for a bit.

"Heh, even in my clothes, you still look cute. Needs one more thing though."

He took off his cap and put it on her head. She lifted the back and tucked her hair into it.

"Mada mada dane." she immitated.  
"You're doing it wrong, you have to say it more like this: mada mada dane."

The two continued to say Ryoma's signiature phrase in attempts to annoy each other. Soon, it was time for Sayomi to go back home. After she changed and before she left, Ryoma had something to say.

"Hey, do you remember what I told you that first day you came over?"  
"That you let me win our game?"  
"No, about your hair."  
"Oh, that you'd like it better if it were short? Yeah, I remember. Why?"  
"Because I still feel that way."  
"Well it doesn't matter because I'm not cutting my hair for you. Just because you're cute, and sweet, and smart..."  
"Oh well, it was worth a shot."  
"So how about one last make out session before I go?"  
"You got it, Cutie."

As Sayomi got home, she immidiately changed into her pyjamas and took off her makeup. Afterwards, she took out her journal and began writing.

_**Sayomi's Journal, Monday, April 13, Cont.**_

_It's about 8:30 now. I was over at Ryoma's house for two and a half hours. What an amazing two an a half hours it was. When he said he planned something special, he really wasn't kidding. But I decided to do something special for him too._

For the first time in a long time, I actually got dressed up. I wore that dress Tiffany gave me when I left for Japan, and makeup too. It was a gorgeous dress, but I never thought I'd actually wear it. Thanks to Ryoma, I had a reason to. As for the makeup...since when do I even own any?

What Ryoma had in store for me was really surprising, in a good way. He set up a little picnic in his room with candles, flowers, and rose petals scattered on the blanket. He even made the bentos himself. They were beautiful. Mine had onigiri, dumplings and vegetable flowers. And the vegetables tasted to crisp and fresh! Ryoma's had sashimi, which I love, so he even let me have some! I wonder how long they took him to make...

Afterwards, we played tennis for like, five minutes, so I ended up wearing his clothes. Ha ha...Leah probably would have made a joke about me being "in his pants" if she heard that. Man...I really miss my friends in Canada...but I've made new friends here in Japan. I wonder if I'll ever meet anyone as quirky and crazy as my Canadian friends. So far, I can't think of anyone, though Eiji comes pretty close.

I love Japan, and all the people I've met here, but sometimes, I get really homesick. Like right now. Some days, everything makes me think of Canada. I wonder if I'll be able to visit on my next vacation. I wonder if my friends will be able to visit on their next vacation. Back in Canada, when I was sad, I could always count Leah or Tiffany to cheer me up. Kome's a good friend, but sometimes when she tries to cheer my up, it doesn't always work.

I shouldn't be sad, it's not what my friends would want. They would tell me to cheer up because when I'm sad, they're sad too. But it's not so much sadness that's hitting me. It's homesickness. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. I bet if I were in Canada now, I'd be missing all my new friends here in Japan. Especially Ryoma and Kome.

She took out a red pen and drew a maple leaf on her right palm, and a circle on her left. She took a long look at both hands.

_"Canada...Japan...two homes...two lives...two places I really love..."_


	12. Planning for Spring Break

The next morning at school, Sayomi was still feeling a bit homesick. She took at look at her palms again, the symbols now beginning to fade. Ryoma came up behind her and looked at her strangely.

"What's on your hands?"  
"It's nothing..."

"What's the matter? You seem sad."

"I'm fine, really..."

"You don't seem fine."  
"I'm just a little homesick, that's all." she stared at her hands again.

"It shouldn't be too long until spring break. I think we should go to Canada."

"Yeah, then I culd spend the week with my old friends and wait-we?"  
"Yeah, as in you and I. This could one of those things for just the two of us."

"Well we can't travel halfway across the world by ourselves, so we'll probably need to bring along a chaperone. Your dad seems like a pretty fun guy."

"Alright, so it just means we go just the two of us...with a chaperone."

She hugged him tightly and ran off to tell Kome.

"_That girl is...I don't even know what._"

Sayomi frantically ran to find Kome.

"Kome, Kome, guess what?!"  
"What?"  
"We're going to Canada for spring break!"

"We? Like, you and me?"  
"And Ryoma and his dad..."  
"What? Ryoma's coming too? But you hardly know him!"  
"Well he's the one who's going to be paying for the plane tickets and stuff."

"Okay, so why are we going to Canada?"  
"Because if you didn't already know, which you should, I'm from Canada and I'm going to be visiting all my friends!"

"Oh...you'd think I'd remember something like that..."

"So are you going to come?!"  
"I'll ask my parents tonight."  
"Yay!"

Sayomi spun on her heels, about to head to class, to see a rather angry looking Ryoma.

"You invited Kome?"  
"Well she's my best friend in Japan, so I thought I'd take her along to meet my best friends in Canada...is that okay?"

"I guess if you'll be happy..."

"Thanks so much!"

"You couldv'e at least asked before you invited her."

"I'm sorry, I got excited."

After class, Sayomi took out her notebook and began writing a letter.

"_Dear Leah and Tiffany,_

_How are you? I've missed you both so much! Has anything happened since I left? I'd like to think so, considering it's been a few years! Have you met anyone new? I've met a lot of people in Japan. And as crazy and quirky as you guys are, I've met a few people who are almost as crazy. Maybe even equally as crazy._

_First, there's Kome. She's the first person I met here in Japan._"

Kome saw her writing the letter, not recognizing the english.

"What's that?"  
"It's a letter I'm writing to my friends in Canada."  
"Oh cool! Can I say something?"  
"You don't even know them."

"Well then can you tell them I look forward to meeting them?"

"Actually, I'm going to surprise them, so they aren't going to know that we're coming."

"Oh, okay. Well tell them I said hi!"

She went back to writing her letter.

"_As I'm writing this, she's here with me. And she says hi. Ha ha, she's pretty ridiculous sometimes. But I'm used to silly people. After all, I've been friends with you two for all these years._

_Then there's Ryoma. He's one of my newer friends. Well...not exactly a friend, more like...a tennis rival. He's the only first year as one of the regulars on the tennis team. Which means he must be pretty good, right? Well, he is. I played against him last week. He's left handed, but he played me with his right. But then again, so was I. And the most amazing part was: I beat him. It wasn't by a lot, but I still managed to beat the only first year regular. But then I found out he let me win. But enough about that, I've got lots more to tell you._

_There's also a funny guy I recently met. His name's Eiji. You know how I love gymnastics and combine that with my tennis? He's got an acrobatic style of play too. When I played against him, he admitted there were things I can do that he can't. I partnered up with Ryoma and played against him with his partner, the co-captain of the tennis team. I was amazed when we beat them. Going through all the people I've played against, I don't think I've played against too many girls here at Seigaku._

_Spring break is coming up soon, so I hope you have something fun planned. I know I do. I'm also planning to send you guys a gift. It's very special. Way too special to send through the mail. So wait at the airport and look for Ryoma's dad. I'll make sure I put a picture in the envelope. He'll be bringing your gift._"

She closed her notebook and looked around for Ryoma.

"Oh, hey, could I get a picture of your dad?"  
"Why do you need a picture of my dad?"  
"So my friends know who to look for at the airport."

"What about us?"  
"It's going to be a surprise, they don't know we're coming. I'll explain everything later."

"Uh...okay, I'll bring you one tomorrow."

"Thanks, that'd be great!"


	13. Their Second Date

She and Ryoma headed over to the tennis courts to practice for a bit. As they and the other freshman practiced, the regulars showed up, Tezuka leading the pack.

"Woah...is that really Captain Tezuka?"  
"Yup."  
"I've been told he's 14. Is he really only 14?"  
"You'd think I'd remember something like that."

"Is he?"  
"Go ask him."

"But I can't!"

"Why not?"  
"Because he sorta scares me..."

"So get over it."

He pushed her toward Tezuka. She bumped into him as she tried to regain her balance.

"I'm so sorry, Tezuka-senapi!"  
"Be more careful next time."

"Um...C-could I ask you something?"  
"What?"

He turned around to look at her, his icy glare like daggers.

"I um...I was just wondering..."  
"If you've got something to ask, then just ask."

"Y-you're only 14, right?"

"Yes. Is that all?"

"Um...yes, that's it."  
"By the way, not many people can realize that I'm only 14 upon first seeing me, so I commend you on that, Sayomi."

"Th-thank you, Tezuka-senapi!"

He nodded as she walked back over to Ryoma, and continued to watch over the courts.

"What happened?"  
"He's only 14...he doesn't look like it..."

"You'd think I'd have known that..."

"Oh shut up! You pushed me into him!"

"Well if I didn't, you wouldn't know."

"Then...thanks I guess..."

"Anyway, I'd better go practice. See ya later."

"I'll go pick up stray balls with the other freshman."

She thought back on what Tezuka said to her.

"_I commend you on that, Sayomi._"

It repeated over and over in her head.

"_Tezuka-senpai...knows my name..._"

"Hey, Saomi-chan! Wanna go shopping?" Kome called.

"I'll be right there!"

Sayomi snuck over to the change rooms and out to where Kome was waiting.

"I hope no one notices I'm gone..."

"Don't worry, since the regulars will be practicing, all the freshman will be doing is picking up the stray balls."

"Either way, I don't want to get in any trouble. If I do, you're to blame."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I saw you talking to Captain Tezuka. What were you talking about?"

"He looks a lot older than he actually is..."  
"How old is he?"  
"14."  
"He's only 14?!"  
"Yeah."  
"Seriously?"  
"Yeah."

"Oh wow."

"So why are we going to the mall?"  
"I need something to wear for my date."

"A date? Who with?"

"This is really embarassing..."

"You can tell me."  
"It's Horio."

"Ew...Horio?"  
"Yes..."

Kome hung her head in shame.

"You wanna explain why you're going out with Horio?"

"Well he asked me out...and...well...you know I can't say no to people!"

"Whatever. Where are you going?"  
"Well Horio said it'd be a double date with me and him and you and Ryoma."  
"Wait, wait, wait! No one told me I'd be going on a double date with Ryoma!"

"Oh...I thought he told you..."

"Anyway, where are we going?"

"The school dance."

"We're having a school dance?"

"Don't you ever read the builliten board?!"

"No, not often. To be honest, I'm not totally sure where it is."

"Well anyway, I want to get you an outfit too. Maybe a cute dress."

"A dress?! No!"  
"Come on, please? For me?"

She sighed in exasperation.

"Can't I just wear some sparkly jeans or something?"

"Oh fine, ruin all my fun. Well at least _I'm _going to wear a skirt."

When they arrived at the mall, Kome insisted on going to the high end stores with the most expensive clothes.

"Kome, why are we here? We could just as easily go to a discount store and get the same thing for a lot less."

"You can spend your money however you want. I'm spending mine at the high end boutiques."

"You don't actually need to get me anything. I'll see what I've got in my closet."

"Oh, be quiet. I'm getting you some designer jeans and you're going to wear them."

"Just don't blame me when you go broke."

Kome looked around the store for the best looking dress. She found a spaghetti strap dress with a knee legnth tiered skirt. The straps were black, the top being silver and sparkly. Each layer of the skirt was either black or silver and sparkly. Sayomi looked at the price tag.

"This dress is $100!"  
"And it's gorgeous!"

"But are you even going to wear it after...whenever the dance is?"

"Yes!"  
"When are you ever going to get a chance to wear something like that?"

"Well even if I don't wear it after tomorrow, I'll just keep it so I can say I have a dress that's worth $100."

While Sayomi and Kome argued, the other freshman were still picking up balls for the regulars.

"Hey Echizen, we're friends, right?"

"...I guess."

"So could you do me a favor?"  
"...I guess."

"Could you come on a double date with me?"

"Who am I going with?"

"Sayomi."  
"Is she aware of it?"  
"I'll tell her soon."

"Who are you going with?"  
"Kome."

"Where are we going?"  
"To the school dance."  
"We have a school dance?"

"Yeah, it's tomorrow."

"So why are we going out with Sayomi and her best friend?"

Horio pulled Ryoma off the the side and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Listen, I really like Sayomi, okay?"  
"And?"  
"Well if I'm with her best friend, she'll get jelous and start liking me, right?"

"...Right..."

"If you do this for me, I'll never ask for any favors again."

"And if I do this for you, will you shut up?"  
"Yes!"  
"Fine."

"Thank you so much!"

"_I've got to stop doing favors for people..._"


	14. Plans Revealed

Later, after Kome had bought Sayomi some designer jeans as she promised, the two went to Sayomi's house to find a shirt to match.

"At least you didn't insist on buying me an entire outfit."

"Well I want you to be able to say you own a pair of $50 jeans without lying. And maybe you can wear them when we're in Canada too!"

"Okay. I'm sure Leah and Tiffany will love them. Maybe we'll all have a chance to go to a party together and you can wear your dress."

Kome jumped into Sayomi's closet, looking for the perfect top. After going through her closet and throwing nearly all of her clothes behind her onto the floor, there was just one top left in the closet.

"This! This is perfect!"  
"Kome! You made my room look like a tornado hit it!"

"This is perfect! Not too casual, but not too flashy. The perfect balance."

"Yes, the perfect balance and I'll wear it. Now, you're going to help me clean up my room."

"What? No way! Your room is nice and clean!"  
"Well it _was_ until you went through my closet."

"Okay, I'll help."  
"Good! Now since you did this, you'll clean it and I'm going back to practice."

"Oh fine."

Sayomi grabbed her racket and put her hair in a ponytail.

"See ya."

"Ha ha, yeah. I promise this room will be clean when you get back."

"It better be!"

She walked off, thinking about the dance.

"_So Ryoma and I have another date...I wonder if he knows about it..._"

While she thought about the day's events, she absentmindedly ran into Ryoma.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-oh, hi Ryoma!"

"Hello. Why'd you leave earlier?"  
"Went to the mall with Kome."  
"Why?"  
"She needed an outfit for her double date with Horio-the double part being us."  
"So I've been told."

"Heh heh, I look forward to it. Can you dance?"  
"No. Can you?"

"Sort of...does gymnastics count?"

Ryoma shrugged.

"Let's just not dance."

"I wasn't going to unless you did too."

"Well I'm glad you've grown so attatched to me." he chuckled.

"Oh be quiet! It feels like the pressure is somewhat lifted off of me when there's someone else with me."

"Ooh, someone's insecure."  
"I would have never thought you'd be one to tease."

"Well you seem to be an exception with me. For a lot of things."  
"Like what?"  
"You're the only person I've ever found attractive. You're the only person I've ever thought about being with. You're the only person who can take my mind off tennis."

"I...I am?"

"So what about me?"  
"Huh?"  
"How do you feel about me?"

"Whenever you're around, I feel happy."

"That's so sweet it's almost sickening."

"Well um...I should go..."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

She continued walking towards the tennis courts. By the time she arrived, the freshman had just begun cleaning up.

"You skipped practice!"  
"But I came back. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Just help us clean."

She put down her racket as she was handed a broom.

"So guys, how was practice?"

"The usual. We only got to pick up the stray balls."

"Enough about this, what are you guys doing for spring break?"  
"I'm going to play in a mini-tournament. I'm sure to win with my two years of tennis experience!" Horio proudly announced.

"We're going to play too, just for fun."

"They have a girls division, you should come too."

"Actually...I'm kinda...not going to be here for spring break."

"Where are you going?"  
"Canada."

"Why?"  
"I'm from Canada, y'know."

"Oh." they said in unison.

"Hey, I heard they eat beavers in Canada. What do they taste like?"  
"We don't eat beavers. Whoever you heard that from was probably talking about beaver tails. They're kinda like...flat doughnuts."

"So you don't eat beavers?"  
"No."

"Oh, okay. Can you bring me back a beaver tail?"

"I could, but I'll probably forget to."

She propped the broom against a wall and grabbed her racket.

"I'm leaving, bye."

"Hey! First you skip practice, then clean-up duty?!"

"I cleaned my part, I'm leaving."

"You're so lazy!"  
"That's sneaky!"  
"Such a hottie..."

Kato and Mizuno turned around and look at Horio strangely.

"Uh I mean...yeah, really lazy!"

When Sayomi arrived home, Kome did as she promised and made sure that the room was spotless.

"I'm done!"

Kome let out a satisfied sigh and turned around to see Sayomi.

"Oh, hi! I'm done cleaning, and I made sure everything was as clean as before I went though your closet."

"Thanks Kome!"  
"Oh, and don't worry, I'm not going to make you pay me."  
"Good, because you're the one that made the mess!" she laughed.


	15. Before the Dance

The next day, Sayomi had recieved a letter from Leah and Tiffany.

"_Dear Sayomi,_

_It's great to hear from you! We're so glad you like Japan! Not too much has happened since you left. No one has been able to take your spot as the best junior female player in North America. We're glad to hear that you met some crazy new people, but we haven't met anyone new._

_So how's the tennis school? Have you entered any tournaments in Japan yet? Wouldn't it be great if you could eventually become the best junior female player in the world? We've got faith in you, and we know you can do it. We look forward to your gift, and we hope you can come and visit sometime!_"

It was more of a note than a letter but it still meant a lot to her. As she slipped it into her pocket, Kome ran up to her.

"Come on, let's go get ready!"

"For what?"  
"The dance is tonight!"  
"But it isn't until six!"

"So? Let's go get our hair and nails done!"

"How about we just not?"  
"Fine, we'll go hang out at your house and do our own hair and nails!"

The two walked happily to Sayomi's house, Kome mindlessly chattering about the dance.

"Quit talking so fast, I can't understand you!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
"But what are you so excited about, anyway? You're going to be on a date with Horio."

"Yeah, Horio isn't exactly a hottie, but he'll do."

"...'He'll do'?"

"Well we'll be one of the few who have a date." Kome said proudly.

"Yeah, yeah."

At Sayomi's house, Kome searched through her bathroom and bedroom for nailpolish or makeup.

"Are you kidding me?! No nailpolish, no makeup, not even any?!"

"Well I don't really wear makeup that often."  
"But not even _any_?!"

"Well actaully, I do have a little bit..."

"Show me where!"

Sayomi walked over to her vanity table and pulled an elaborately decorated box out of one of the drawers.

"Ooh, pretty!"  
"I know, isn't it?"  
"So show me what little makeup you have."

Sayomi opened the box, revealing a bit of eyeshadow, mascara, and lip gloss.

"...That's it?"  
"That's it."

"Oh well. We won't need too much makeup anyway. We're already gorgeous."

By the time the two had finished doing each other's hair and makeup, there was just enough time for them to get changed. As they put on their outfits and smoothed out the wrinkles, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be them!"  
"Probably."  
"This is going to be so cool!"

"Well I was kinda dragged into this without being asked, but I guess it'll be fun."

Kome's outfit was more flamboyant, and she had used most of the makeup, leaving Sayomi with light makeup, looking casual, but refined. They opened the door, not knowing what to expect of the boys. Horio smiled and presented Kome with a flower, nudging Ryoma to do the same.

"Hello, ladies."

"Hi, how are you?"

"Wonderful."

"So shall we head off to the dance?"  
"Let's go."

Ryoma and Sayomi merely shrugged and followed them out. Since Sayomi lived close to the school, the four walked.


	16. At The School Dance

The dance was being held outside on one of the tennis courts. Nearby, on another court, there were tables set up like a cafe. Horio and Kome decided to head over the the first court, the lights flashing and music blaring. Meanwhile, Ryoma and Sayomi had gone to the second court. Going with the cafe theme, some of the third year students had volunteered to act as waiters. Fuji came around to the table with a pitcher of water.

"Hello. Would you like some water?"  
"Sure."  
"Ah, Echizen, hello! And who is this lovely young lady?"  
"I'm Sayomi."

"Awww, well aren't you two cute together? Here, have some water."

"Thank you, Fuji-senapai."

"Anything else you need, just tell us and we'll be happy to get it for you."

Fuji left with a smile to refill his pitcher of water.

"So do you wanna get anything to eat?"

Ryoma flipped through the menu.

"Do you want...a fruit salad?"

"Sure."

Ryoma raised his hand and waited for a waiter to come around. Momo took out a notepad, ready to write down thier order.

"Hi! What do you need?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Momo-senpai. Why are you a waiter? I thought it was only the third years."

"Well Tezuka-senpai signed all us regulars up for cafe duty...except you apparently. So what can I get for you and..."

"Sayomi."

"Well I'm Takeshi Momoshiro. So what can I get for ya?"

"A fruit salad."

"And for you, Echizen?"

"Nothing."

"Okay. Well then I'll go get your fruit salad."

"Thanks Momoshiro-senpai."

"It's what I'm here for. And please, call me Momo-chan."

Soon, Momo came back with a decrotave fruit salad-and an unusual looking drink.

"...What's that?"

"Inui fruit juice-compliments of the chef."

"So Inui-senpai got stuck with kitchen duty, huh?"

"Actually, he chose to work in the kitchen."

Momo stood at the table, waiting for Sayomi to try the odd drink in front of her.

"What?"

"I wanna see your reaction."

"Okay..."

Sayomi picked up the glass and stared at the repulsive looking drink. She took a deep breath and gulped down the chunky liquid.

"That looked disgusting..." Momo said with a horrified face.

"So how's it taste?"

"Not bad, actually. It's very sweet."

"Well like they say, you can't judge a book by it's cover."

"And I can taste coconut juice in it."

"Hm...maybe I'll try it."

"Get back to work, Momo." Tezuka said as he passed.

"Well, I've got work to do. See ya later!"

Not long after Momo left, Horio and Kome arrived at the second court, looking for Ryoma and Sayomi.

"Ah, there you are!"

"We've been here the whole time."

"Why didn't you come dance with us?"

"Because we didn't want to?"

"Okay, well we'll come sit with you guys then."

Tezuka noticed the additional people at the table and instructed Eiji to cater to them.

"Hiya! I'm Eiji. Want some water?"

"We already know you Eiji-senpai."

"Nya, it's you Sayomi-sama!"

"Eiji-senapai, I already told you to quit calling me that!"

"So sorry, Sayomi-chan. So what can I get for you and O'Chibi and your friends?"

"I'll have a fruit salad, like Sayomi's."

"Mmmkay, I'll go get you one."

Eiji skipped off to the kitchen to fetch a fruit salad.

"So what have you two been doin' all this time?" Kome took a few cherries from Sayomi's fruit salad.

"Talking to a couple of the regulars, mostly Momo-senpai."

"So who else did you talk to?"

"Fuji-senpai."

Eiji returned with the fruit salad, and the same mysterious fruit juice.

"Does that like, come with the fruit salad?"

"Dunno. Inui told me to bring it out."

"What's in it?"

"...Fruit? To be honest, I'm not totally sure."

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to try it..."

Kome took a sip of the drink.

"It's...um...interesting."

She gulped down her water.

"So who else wants to try it?"

"It's not actually as disgusting as it looks."

"Did you try it?"

"Yeah. It's actually really sweet. A little too sweet for my liking, but I don't hate it."

"Well if Sayomi-sama likes, it, I'm gonna try it!"

"I've told you a thousand times: stop calling me that! And I never said I liked it!"

Eiji picked up the glass, staring at it's murky contents. He tilted his head back and swallowed some of the juice.

"Better than the rest of them...I'm not feeling nauseous yet. Here O'Chibi, have some."

He handed the half-full glass to Ryoma. Although he didn't want to drink it, he did anyways, knowing that Eiji would continue to ask.

"Like Sayomi said, way too sweet."

"Mmmkay, I'll make sure to tell Inui that."

He happily trotted off to the kitchen to talk to Inui.

"Excuse me for a minute, I have to go talk to Kome in private."

"Um...okay?"

Kome followed him off the tennis courts.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I can't keep up this lie..."

"What lie?"

"Look, you're a good friend, but I have no feelings for you."

"So then why'd you ask me out? And why'd you drag Sayomi and Ryoma along?"

"The truth is: I like Shihobu. I was just using you to try to make her jealous. Please don't tell her..."

"Well I'm glad you were honest, but that was so mean! And besides, I don't think it was working."

"What? Why not?"

"Sayomi's not the jealous type."

"So what can I do to get her to like me?"

"I'm not sure, actually. She hasn't told me much about what she likes in a guy."

"Well just don't tell her what I said."

"Okay. I promise."


	17. A Dance on the First Court

The two returned to the table to find Ryoma and Sayomi talking to Eiji.

"Okay, so you'll come play doubles with us again?"

"And you and Oishi-senpai will actually try this time?"  
"We were trying last time!"

"Eiji-senpai, shouldn't you be working?"  
"I will soon. Don't tell the boss, 'kay O'Chibi?"

Oishi walked past with a concerned look on his face.

"You should probably get back to work, Tezuka might make us run laps."

"Mmmkay, I'll talk to you guys later then."

Soon, they saw Kaido walking around with a tray of chocolates.

"Hello. Would you care for a chocolate?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"You're supposed to intoduce yourself." Momo whispered as he passed.

"I'm Kaoru Kaido. Would you like a chocolate?"

"_That's _Kaido-senpai? I hardly recognized him without the bandana." Sayomi whispered.

"Hey you, watch your mouth! I never asked to be wearing this stupid outfit!"

"Tomorrow, you'll be running ten laps." Tezuka said as he passed.

"Fshuuuuu...stupid kid...now I have to run laps..." he muttered.

"...I think Kaido-senpai hates me now."

"It isn't your fault he shouted like that."

"It kind of is because I guess I offended him..."

"Though you gotta admit, he looked pretty cute in that waiter outfit."  
"Kome!"

"You don't have to yell at me if you disagree, just say so!"  
"I never said I disagreed..."

"So um...who wants some chips?"

"Sure."

As if he was listening for an order, Eiji appeared at the table.

"Hi again! Did you need something?"

"Yeah, a bowl of chips for the four of us, please."

"Okay! I'll go get that for you!"

He returned with a large bowl of chips and smiled.

"Having fun yet?"

"Well I've just been sitting here, but yeah, I'm having fun."  
"So what about you?"  
"What about me?"  
"Are you having fun working?"

"I'm having lots of fun! There's so many people to chat with."

"But you're supposed to be working, not chatting. So get back to work, Eiji." Tezuka said as he passed.

"Man, Tezuka's everywhere tonight..."

"Has Tezuka-senpai even done anything other than tell the others to get back to work?"

"I haven't seen him do anything."

"And have you done anything other than just sit there? No! So come dance with us!"

"Fine. One song, and that's it."

"Promise?"

"I promise. And you're coming with me, Ryoma. I'm _not _doing this alone."

As they passed Eiji on their way to the first court, Sayomi told him to save their table. When they arrived, a slow song began to play and people began pairing off.

"A slow song, no way!"

"Oh, but Sayomi, you promised!"

"Ugh, that's right, I did."

"But I'm going to sit this one out."  
"What?! Kome!"

"Let's just get this over with."

Ryoma grabbed Sayomi's wrist and pulled her towards an empty spot. He held her close and whispered in her ear.

"Enjoy this while you can, because it's never gonna happen again."

"I'm kinda glad we got dragged into this."

Meanwhile, Horio sat on the bench, watching in envy.

"You _had _to suggest that they come dance with us."

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect a slow song to be playing."

"You made the situation worse."

"I'm sorry! I didn't plan this!"

"Well I had a plan. But it's not working."

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"Meh, I guess it isn't your fault she doesn't like me."

Kawamura came around offering water bottles.

"Hello, I'm Takashi Kawamura. I have water bottles if you're thirsty."

"I'll take one, thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome. I hope you're having fun."

"We're having fun, are you?"  
"Not really. I'd rather be dancing with everyone else. But I've got to work, so if there's anything you need, just tell me."

"One more thing before you go."  
"What is it?"  
"Could you hold this?"

Kome handed Kawamura the racket she found under the bench.

"BURNING!"

Kawamura ran off swinging the racket wildly, frantic freshman running out of his way.

"Why did you do that?"  
"Someone told me that he changes when he hold a racket. I wanted to see what happened."

Tezuka grabbed Kawamura's wrist and took the tennis racket from his hand.

"Get back to work."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't even know I stopped."

He continued to walk around handing out water bottles. As the situation calmed, the couples went back to dancing. Soon, the song as over and they split apart.

"There, that was one song. I'm going back to the second court."

"I guess we'll come too."


	18. The End of the Dance

When they walked in, they saw that people were sitting at most of the tables, with just one being empty.

"I saved your table, just like you asked me to."  
"Thanks Eiji-senpai."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Just some water."

"Anything for you! And plus, it's my job. But um...I don't have my water pitcher rgiht now."

"No worries, I've got mine."

Oishi smiled and poured a glass of water for the four of them.

"Man, you guys are really um...smiley tonight."

"We have to be. We have to give friendly service or Tezuka's gonna make us run 50 laps."

"Well Kaido-senpai seemed really grumpy...and I never saw Tezuka-senpai smile either."

"Kaido hardly ever smiles. And Tezuka never smiles."  
"Never?"  
"I've never seen him smile."  
"Come to think of it, neither have I."

"He's always so serious. It scares me a little."

Tezuka passed them with a stern look on his face.

"Get back to work you two."

"See what I mean?" Eiji whispered.

"Remember, if you need anything-"  
"We know, just ask."

"Oh and by the way O'Chibi, the regulars are having a little afterparty at Momo's if you wanna come. I'll ask if Sayomi can come."

The four sat down at their table.

"So the afterparty...are you going?"  
"Why? Did you want to go?"

"Well it _would _be fun to hang out with _your_ friends..."

"They're more teammates than friends."

"So are you gonna go?"

"Maybe."

"Can we come?"  
"Probably not, it's going to be regulars only."

"Then what about Sayomi?!"

"Eiji-senpai's the one who wants her there."

Eiji came to them and brought them some glasses of water.

"Momo said you could come, Sayomi-chan."  
"What about us?"  
"I don't think Momo wants any non-regulars there."

"But what about Sayomi?!"

"She's special." he smiled.

Eiji noticed Tezuka walking his way.

"Anyway, I have to get back to work before I get in trouble. Bye!"

"Looks like you can go if you want."

"But I want you to come too."  
"Why?"  
"Because they're kinda scary..."

"There's only nine of us. And you know us...mostly."

"But...I don't want to go alone..."

"Fine, I'll go."

A few hours later, the dance ended. Horio and Kome went home, but Ryoma and Sayomi decided to stay behind to help clean up.

"It's okay, you don't need to help us."

"Yeah, you didn't get signed up for it against your will." Kaido glared at Tezuka.

"But the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go to my house for our regulars-only afterparty."

"Regulars plus Sayomi."

"Yeah. And besides, the more the merrier, right?"

"Right. So what are we even going to do?"

"Dance? Eat? Drink?"  
"We did that here."

"Uh...we could swim?"

"You have a pool? Since when?"

"Since last month."

"But we didn't bring our swimsuits."  
"No worries, you can borrow mine."

"But what about Sayomi?"

"She can go home and get her stuff now while we finish up."

"We shouldn't be too much longer, go get your stuff."

Sayomi headed home and changed into her swimsuit, putting a more comfortable outfit on over it. She tied her hair into a ponytail and headed back to the school. As she arrived, they were stacking the last of the chairs.

"Ah, perfect timing! Let's go, everyone!"


	19. Momo's Party

When they arrived at Momo's house, he led them all to his room.

"So...what should we do?"

"We should play the 'you have to' game!"

"What's that?"

"One person picks another person and tells them something they have to do."

"And what if that person doesn't want to do it?"

"For every 'you have to' that you refuse, you do that many laps times ten, or ask for another 'you have to'. But that doesn't mean you'll get a better one."

"Sure, sounds like fun."  
"Okay, everyone get in a circle then."

Everyone sat in a circle on the floor.

"Momo, you suggested it, so you can start."

"Okay. Taka-san, you have to...crawl around and pretend to be a dog."

"What? I'm not doing that! I'll take the ten laps."

"Okay, fine. Fuji-senpai, you can go next."

"Alright, let's see...Tezuka, you have to...smile."

"I am smiling."

"Alright...Oishi, you go next."

"Am I allowed to make everyone do something?"  
"No one said you can't."  
"Okay. Then everyone, you have to do an impression of someone else in here."

"Does that include you?"  
"Yeah. So let's pick partners. Eiji, do you want to be partners?"  
"Okay!"

Following Oishi's example, the others picked partners as well. The partners were: Sayomi and Ryoma, Momo and Kawamura and Kaido and Inui, leaving Tezuka and Fuji to be partners.

"Okay, we'll go first. Make room for this."

The others cleared the space and awaited Oishi's performance. He turned around and did a backflip.

"Hehe, nicely done, Oishi. Now it's my turn to be you!"

"Is this going to offend me?"

"It shouldn't."

Eiji walked around the room, looking at everyone.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you? You're okay? Are you sure?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Is it a bad thing that I worry about you guys?"

"No, it's a good thing! Sayomi and Ryoma, you go next."

"Mada mada dane."

"What?! Cut my hair?! Never!"  
"Shut up, I don't sound like that!"  
"Yes you do."

"Taka-san, let's go next!"

Momo picked up his tennis bag and took out a racket.

"BURNING!"

"I don't do that, do I?"

"Ehe...how about we just move on to your impression of me?"

"Momoshiro? Don't call me that! Just call me Momo-chan!"

"Okay Inui, you and Kaido go next."

Inui took the racket from Momo and immitated Kaido's snake shot. Kaido took a book off Momo's shelf and pretended to read from it.

"The probability of winning...97%."

"Now, there's only one pair left: Tezuka and Fuji."

"I'll go first."

Fuji put on a serious face and deepened his voice.

"Ten laps to warm up, everyone."

"And now, it's your turn, Tezuka!"

Tezuka smiled sweetly and made his voice sound higher and soft.

"Isn't this fun?"

He then reverted back to his serious face. Oishi and the others clapped and laughed.

"That was so much fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun!"  
"Who's gonna go next?"

"I guess since Oishi just went, he can pick someone to go next."

"Alright. Eiji, you go next."

"Hm...Sayomi-chan, you have to show us some of your dazzling tennis moves."

"Could I get a different 'you have to'?"  
"Okay...you have to...have a handstand competition with me."

"I-I don't know..."  
"Come on, it's all in good fun! And someone will be right there to catch you if you fall."

"O-okay..."

Eiji and Sayomi got onto their hands and stood straight up. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on staying in that position. After a few minutes, Eiji finally lost his balance.

"Sayomi."  
"Sayomi!"  
"Sayomi! Eiji fell, you won!"

"Sayomi!"

Eiji grabbed her ankles and set her down gently.

"What'd you do that for, you ruined my concentration!"

"You won."

"Oh. So who's gonna go next?"

"Um...Inui, you go."

"Everyone, you have to try my improved Inui juice."

He reached into his bag and pulled out bottles of the improved Inui juice. Fuji was the first to enthusiastically take one of the bottles.

"This is great, I really reccomend it!"

"But with Fuji, it's hard to know whether it's actually good or if he's just trying to trick us..."  
"It really is good!"

"Sayomi, you try it next."  
"Why me?"  
"Because you like it too."  
"When did I ever say I liked it?"

"Well you don't hate it, so you drink it next."

"Okay..."

Inui handed her a bottle of the murky liquid.

"Take it from me, guys. Run the ten laps."

"This is getting boring, let's play a different game." Momo suggested.

"Like what?"

"We should go outside and swim now!"

"Yeah! You brought your swimsuit, right Sayomi? You can go change in the bathroom, it's right over there."

"Actually, I already changed, but I'll leave so you can change."

She left the room and closed the door, sitting against the wall as she waited.


	20. Seven Minutes in Heaven

Soon, Momo stuck his head out the door.

"We're ready."

"Okay, just give me a second."

She took off her clothes to reveal a blue and white tankini with a red trim.

"Heh heh, look, Seigaku colours!"

She took a red sarong out of her bag and tied it around her waist.

"Aww, you're covering up more?" Momo joked.

"Quit hitting on Sayomi, Momo!"

"What? I'm just saying she looks cute! Doesn't she?"

Kaido looked at her quickly before turning his head away to hide his slight blush.

"Fshuuuu..."

"Ryoma, doesn't she look cute?"

"Stop trying to force your opinion on others, Momo-senpai."

"Let's just go outside."

He showed them out the back door to his backyard. He ran toward the deep end and jumped in.

"It's cold."

Ignoring Momo's statement, the others jumped in anyways. Sayomi walked nervously toward the pool.

"What's the matter, not coming in?"

"I-it's too cold..."  
"You haven't even gotten in yet!"

"You said it was cold..."

"It is!" Eiji mouthed.

"You're not even going to come in for a little bit?"

"I don't know..."

"Sayomi-chan, could I see your hand for a sec?"

She held her hand out toward Eiji, who grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the pool. Her ear-piercing shriek echoed through the neighbourhood.

"Eiji-senpai, why did you do that?!"

"So you'd come in and swim with us."

"You didn't have to pull me in!"

"I hope you can forgive me..."

"Just..don't do it again..."

"I'm sorry, I won't."

"So who wants to have a breath-holding contest?"

"You're on, Momo! Do you want to compete too, Sayomi-chan?"

"Okay, I'll try..."

"I'll time it!" Oishi said.

"Three..."  
"Two..."  
"One!"

Sayomi took a deep breath and submerged herself underwater. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on not moving. After nearly a minute, she decided to go up for air.

"Woah, that was 56 seconds, Sayomi!"

"Really? I could've sworn it was longer..."

After about an hour of swimming, they decided to go inside.

"So what should we do now?"

Momo took a pillow off his bed and hit Kawamura as hard as he could.

"Ow! Even if that was a pillow, that kinda hurt!"

"There's not enough pillows for all of us, grab one now!"

The others rushed towards Momo's bed and snatched the pillows off of it.

"A pillow fight? Are you serious?"

"Lighten up, Ryoma, pillow fights are fun!"

"You're only saying that because you haven't gotten hit yet."

He took the pillow from her hand and hit her over the head with it.

"Still fun?"  
"Ow..."

"Hey guys, I have a fun idea!"

"What?"  
"Seven minutes in heaven..."

"What?! But I don't want to be stuck in a closet with another guy!"

"But you won't be. You'll be stuck in a closet with Sayomi."

"You make that sound like a bad thing!"  
"Shut up Eiji, Momo's explaining something."

"Okay, well _someone _is going to be in the closet with Sayomi."  
"But how can you guarantee that?"

"Well there'll be two dots in one colour, and the rest will be different colours. We'll give Sayomi one of the colours that has two."

"What colour will have two?"  
"We'll let Sayomi pick the colour."

Momo handed her a few peices of paper and some markers. The others turned around while she put the coloured dots on the paper. She kept one for herself and put the others on the table.

"Everyone take one."

Each regular took a piece of paper off the table.

"Let's open them together."

"One..."  
"Two..."  
"Three!"

"What colour do you have?"

The regulars took a look at their papers.

"Red."  
"Orange."

"Yellow."  
"Green."  
"Blue."

"Purple."  
"Pink."

"Brown."  
"Black."

"What colour do you have, Sayomi?"

She showed her paper to the others, revealing a green dot.

"Oh ho ho, Kaido's going in the closet with Sayomi!"

The other regulars worked together to push Kaido and Sayomi in the closet together.

"Fshuuu..."

"I didn't really ask to do this y'know..."

"Too late now!"

The two were shoved into Momo's closet, the regulars pressing their ears against the door.

"Seven minutes! And we're not letting you out unless _something _happens!" Momo shouted.

He set the timer on his watch for seven minutes.

"Fshuuu...why me..."

"Um...Kaido-senpai..."  
"What?"

"When Momo-senapi said I looked cute...and you looked and looked away..."

"What?"  
"Y-you blushed..."

"What of it?"

He was glad it was dark, as he was beginning to blush.

"Did you..."  
"Did I what?"

"Did you think I looked cute?..."

"Yes." he murmered.

To the other regulars on the other side of the door, this conversation was inaudiable.

"I can't hear what they're saying!"  
"Neither can I!"  
"We're not letting you out until something happens! Or you'll have to stay in there for the seven minutes!"

Kaido grunted.

"Fshuuuuu...look, I don't want to have to spend seven minutes in here with you...so I'm just going to give you a quick kiss on the cheek."

"Well if it has to happen..."

He moved closer to her face, at the last moment turning her face for a kiss on the lips.

"I don't hear anything, did something happen yet?"  
"Yes. Let me out."

Momo opened the closet door, allowing the two out.

"So how'd it go?"

"Something happened, now I don't have to sit in the closet with her."

"What happened?"

"Just something?"


	21. An Offer of a Lifetime

Before long, it was the week before spring break. After school, Sayomi had gathered together Kome and Ryoma.

"Okay, so today is Tuesday. We've got three days before we leave. Our plane leaves at 6:30 on Friday."  
"So...your friends still don't know we're coming?"  
"No, it's gonna be a surprise!"  
"How's it gonna work?"  
"I'll explain on our way to the airport so Ryoma's dad can get the plan too."  
"So then why'd you want to talk to us today?"

"Make sure you pack everything you need."  
"Three days early?"  
"I hope you weren't planning on packing after school on Friday!"

"No..."

"I'm so excited, aren't you?!"

Three days later, when school had finally ended for spring break, Sayomi excitedly ran outside with Kome and Ryoma.

"We're going to Canada today!"

"It's going to be so fun to meet your friends!"

"Since the plane leaves at 6:30, I figure we meet at Ryoma's house for 5:00 and then get to the airport a bit early."

"But I don't know where Ryoma lives!"  
"Okay, Kome, you come to my house at around 4:45 and then we'll go to Ryoma's house."

"Why not just go now?"  
"Because I'm going to go over to the public courts and squeeze in one more practice session before spring break."

"Alright, I'll meet you at your house at 4:45."

She walked over to the tennis courts for some quick practice. Unbeknownst to her, Atobe had been wandering around the courts, scanning for potentially talented players. She had been practicing handstands on only one hand, lifting her racket with the other. Atobe had stood by the court, watching her as she practiced different moves against the wall.

"You're quite a talented player."  
"Thank you."

Without stopping to see who was complimenting her, Atobe continued to watch her.

"If you woudn't mind stopping your practice for a short while, could I speak with you?"

"What?"

She walked off the court to talk to Atobe, her personality returning to normal.

"Do you play on any teams?"

"Well actually-"

"If you don't mind me saying so, I would reccomend that you transfer from your current school to Hyotei Academy."

"But I don't really know where that is...and I don't know anybody there..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Keigo Atobe. I'm the captain of the tennis team at Hyotei. I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to gurantee you a spot on the girls team."  
"I don't know..."  
"Before I go, may I ask your name?"

"I'm Sayomi. Sayomi Shihobu."

"Well Sayomi, if you decide to take me up on my offer, give me a call. I'll be happy to personally give you a tour of the campus and introduce you to the students."  
"I don't know...it's just that...I can't leave..."

"Well please give it some thought during your spring break. I hope you'll consider it."

He took out a buisness card and handed it to her before continuing to scan the courts. She read it over and put it in her pocket. Checking the time, she noticed it was already 4:00. Enough time for her to go home to shower, change and finish packing her carry-on bag. As she arrived home, Kome was already there.

"What are you doing here already? I said 4:45. And how'd you get in? The door was locked."

"Your mom let me in. I thought we could hang out for a little bit."

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh, not long, only since about 3:30."

"It's 4:15. You call 45 minutes not long?"

"It's 4:15 already?"

"Did you bring all your suitcases and stuff?"

"I knew I was missing something! Though I don't see how I could possibly forget something so important."

"Alright, well go get your stuff while I shower and get changed. Then we'll go hang out at Ryoma's."

Kome had soon come back with her suitcases and carry-on bag. As she walked through the door, Sayomi had just finished getting changed and was towel-drying her hair.

"Man, that must take forever!"

"It does. Have you got everything?"

"Yep."  
"You'll probably want to bring lots of money with you."

"Oh, I did!"

"By the way, Canadian money is a little different from Japanese money."

"How so?"

"Well, for every hundred yen, that's only about a dollar in Canadian money."

"That's okay, I can do the math."

"You brought a swimsuit, right?"

"Yeah, I did. But I might buy a new one."

"So are we ready to head over to Ryoma's?"

"Let's go!"


	22. To the Airport!

Sayomi and Kome headed over to Ryoma's house, suitcases and bags in tow.

"What are you guys doing here so early? It's only 4:40."

"Well it's a 20 minute drive to the airport, so we'll be at the airport for around 5."

"But the plane doesn't leave until 6:30."

"It's always good to be early."

"What'll we do for all that time?"

"We could play cards or something. Or even just sit there and talk."

Ryoma pulled out a bag filled with decks of cards, travel games and books.

"Stuff for us to do. My dad packed it for us."

"You've all got cameras, right?"

"Of course!"

"Video games, iPods, mp3 players?"  
"No duh!"

"And more importantly, cell phones?"

"I never go anywhere without mine!"

"I even brought my laptop."  
"It just so happens, I did too."  
"Make sure you charge it while we're at the airport, Sayomi."

"You don't really think I'm that stupid, do you Kome?"

"So do we have everything?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Then let's get going!"

They excitedly ran out to Nanjiro's car.

"Alright, suitcases in the trunk, carry-ons in the car with you."

Doing as Nanjiro asked, they loaded their suitcases into the trunk, and took their carry-ons with them into the car. They took their seats and began driving toward the airport.

"Okay, so let me explain my plan."

"We're listening."

"Okay, so Ryoma's dad-"

"No need for that, just call me Nanjiro."

"Well what you're going to do is give them this box."

She pulled an elaborately decorated box out of her bag.

"Now knowing my friends, they're going to assume that there's something really fancy inside beacause of the box. But really, it's just going to be a note that says 'turn around'. We're going to be following you, in disguise of course, and when you find them, we'll hide behind something behind them."  
"Question."  
"Yes, Kome?"  
"Why are we going to be in disguise? They don't even know what we look like!"

"Well it'd look pretty weird if three people were walking around, and one of them was in disguise. If we're all in disguise, I'll be like none of us are in disguise."

"Another question."  
"Yes?"  
"What are the disguises going to be?"

"Well, before Nanjiro goes out to look for my friends, we'll all sneak over to the gift shop and look for some clothes. Hollister, American Eagle, any of that will work."  
"Two more questions."  
"What are they?"  
"First: what's Hollister and American Eagle? And Second: if we're going to Canada, why is it American Eagle?"

"Hollister and American Eagle are clothing brands that a lot of people wear. And It's called American Eagle because that's just the name of the brand."

"But wait, won't they be able to spot you because of your really long hair?"

"I thought about that. And that's why I'm gonna wear a wig."

"You're got this all planned out, don't you?"  
"Yep! Anyways, we'll be following Ryoma's dad in our disguises. By the time he gives Leah and Tiffany the box, we're going to have to be behind them or the note won't make sense."

"But if you'll be in disguise, how are they going to recognize you?"

"Nanjiro, you're going to have to stall them somehow so I can take off my disguise."

"You don't mean..."  
"No! Just the wig!"

Sayomi rolled her eyes at Kome and continued to explain her plan.

"So when they turn around, I'll be there, but you guys will still be hiding."

"Question."  
"Another one?"  
"Why?"

"I'm going to say hi and all that, then I'll say I have another surprise. That'll be your cue to come out. I'll say, 'I have another surprise for you. Two actually.'"

"Then what?"  
"Then I'll wave my hand to the right, and one of your comes out, then I'll wave my hand to the left, and then the other comes out."

"Who'll stand where?"

"When we get there, where you end up is where you stand."

Having explained her plan, she sat back and sighed in satisfaction.

"This is going to be the best spring break ever!"


	23. At the Airport

Soon, they had arrived at the airport. She plugged her laptop into a nearby outlet and opened up her Skype. Unexpectedly, Leah and Tiffany were online.

"What's that, gonna talk to your friends?"  
"Yes. But they still don't know we're coming, so don't come on screen and say hi."

"Aww, but I wanna meet your friends!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't. If they ask, which I know they will, my reason for being at the airport is to make sure Ryoma's dad gets the 'surprise' to them."

She started a video chat with Leah and Tiffany.

"What are you guys doing up at this hour, it's 6 AM over there, is it not?"

"Cheese craving..."

"Is Leah like, drunk or something?"

"Probably just overtired. We had a sleepover to celebrate the beginning of spring break. We pulled an all-nighter."

"But isn't it like, 6 AM? Don't you have to go to school today?"  
"Nope, got the day off."

"Aww, you guys suck!"

"What, you didn't get the day off too?"

"No. I had to go to school."

"Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen!"

"I heard you the first time, Leah!"  
"Yeah. Listen! I have a something really cool to tell you!"

"What?"

"After you won the junior tournament and left for Japan, they started building a tennis court in your honour!"

"What?!"  
"Shihobu Courts, only a few minutes away from your old house!"

"Really?!"  
"Yes!"

Leah yawned and suddenly had a lot more energy.

"So, so, so, so, so, so are there any cute boys in Japan?!"

"Well-"  
"Because if there aren't, your school must suck!"

"Well, let's just say my school doesn't suck."

"What school are you at anyway? I know you already told us, but it's 6 in the morning and we haven't slept since like, really late yesterday."

"It's called Seigaku. Why, are you planning to like, look it up on the internet?"  
"No..."

"So how is school?"  
"It's going pretty good. Anything new going on with you guys?"

"No. School's still boring as ever. And so are holidays without you. Cheers to another boring spring break without you."

Tiffany pulled a glass of water from offscreen and held it up.

"Cheers, but I have a feeling that you'll love the surprise I'm sending."

"Can we get a hint?"  
"No."

"Please?"  
"Then it'll ruin the whole surprise!"

"You're right. I want to be surprised when I get the surprise."  
"Oh trust me, you'll be surprised..."

"So anyway, any cute boys at Seigaku?"

"There are a few..."

"Names? Pictures? Single?"

"I'm not completely sure of all of their names, and I don't know them all that well so I don't have any pictures, not do I know if they're single."

"Aww, you suck!"

"Besides, they're all a few years older than us."

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Do you remember that cool quiet guy that's been in our class since like, first grade?"  
"You mean um...Blade? Blade Harlequin? That guy you never used to shut up about?"

"Yeah, him. I finally got the nerve to ask him out! And he said yes!"

"Really? That's great!"

"Actually, it was more like 'Well I've got nothing better to do...' but either way, I'm going out with Blade!"

Tiffany shoved Leah off camera asked some questions for herself.

"So have you got a boyfriend?!"

"The thing is...I'm not really sure..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...yes and no."

"Explain..."

Leah got and dusted herself off.

"Thanks for the shove, you bitch! Anyway, what the hell do you mean?"

Ryoma had been listening to the conversation after he heard Sayomi talking about a boyfriend.

"Anger issues much?" he mouthed.

"Well there is one guy...I haven't known him for very long, but we're pretty close."

"Who is it? Is he cute? How old is he? And if he's not your boyfriend, can I date him?"

"Yeah, he's pretty cute. He's around our age and you can't date him because he's all the way across the world!"

"So who is he?"  
"It's not important, you don't even know him."

"_Damnit, she won't say..._" Ryoma thought.

"So Tiffany, do _you _have a boyfriend?"

"Do you remember Alex Starr?"  
"He was the new kid the year I left, right?"  
"Yeah, that's him. Well his older sister Alexis, she came over to my house a few weeks ago to hang out with my older sister, and she had to babysit that night, so she brought Alex along. So we hung out and we totally hit it off!"  
"So it seems that I'm the only one without a boyfriend..."

"That's ok. I'm sure there's someone who just loves tennis, who'll just love you!"

"Yeah..."

"What?"  
"They don't exactly know about my tennis title in North America..."

"You never told them?"

"Why?"  
"I didn't want them to feel like I was bragging..."

Sayomi talked to Leah and Tiffany for a while, catching up with them and telling each other how they've been doing. She checked her watch. 6: 27.

"I'd better go. I need to make sure Ryoma's dad gets on the plane and gets the present to you."

"Bye!"  
"Be the hell on Skype more often!"

"I'm 13 hours ahead of you guys, when am I supposed to be on?!"

"After school?"  
"But after school for you guys is 4 in the morning for me."

"I'll try to be on more often now that there's no school this week."

"Now departing: Flight 861 to Canada."

"I should go, see ya."

She shut down her laptop and put it back in her bag.

"Let's go to Canada, guys!"


	24. Boarding the Plane

They grabbed their stuff from off the table and hurried off excitedly to catch their plane.

"You're sitting with me, Kome and my dad are in front of us."

"So where will we be sitting?"  
"First class." he smiled.

They got onto the plane and into their seats.

"I can't wait to meet your friends!"

"But remember that this isn't going to go as smoothly if we don't follow the plan."

"This is going to be oodles of fun!"

"Kome...did you just say 'oodles of fun'?"

"Yes..."

She turned around to face the flight attendents who were now going through the usual routine. They showed the passengers where the exits were, how to use their seatbelts, and what to do in an emergency. Sayomi turned on her iPod and got out her journal.

_Sayomi's Journal, Friday, March 22,_

_It's finally spring break. Ever since I came to Seigaku, I've spent spring break with Kome because she was one of my only friends. But my life at Seigaku has gotten a lot more hectec, thanks to Ryoma. I've met him, went to a party with the regulars, and now we're heading to Canada to pay a visit to Leah and Tiffany! I have it all planned out._

_Leah and Tiffany will already be waiting at the airport when we land. But they think that it'll just be Ryoma's dad bringing them something special. Really, it'll only be a note in a box that says "turn around". When they do, they'll be surprised to see Kome, Ryoma and I!_

_I've worked out the plan and everything, but I hope there are no bumps along the way that'll ruin it. Right now, we've just taken off...in first class! How Ryoma afforded 4 first class tickets, I haven't got a clue. But if the plan goes smoothly, this will be the best spring break of my life! If not that, then definetly the most surprising._

_My spring break has been eventful, even before it started. Before we left, I decided to go to the public courts for a little bit of practice. I met a guy named Keigo Atobe. He told me he was the captain of the tennis team at Hyotei Academy. And he said he'd to everything in his power to get me a spot on Hyotei's girls team. He even offered to personally give me a tour of the school and introduce me to some people. I wonder how Kome and Ryoma will feel about this..._

She look over at Ryoma, who had begun reading a novel.

"What?"  
"It's nothing." she smiled and shook her head.

_...Should I even tell them about it? I don't want them to worry about me leaving all week. I don't want to ruin their spring break. After all, I'm the one who dragged them along to Canada with me...well actually, Ryoma offered to take me, but I dragged Kome along. Well actually, I asked her if she wanted to come. But regardless of the situation, I don't want to worry them._

_At the airport, I was having a chat with Leah and Tiffany. Both of them are going out with someone. I feel kind of left out being the only one of us who isn't dating anyone. Does it count as dating him if I`ve gone out with Ryoma four times, and Eiji once? But in any case, we're only 12, so it's not like it really matters._

_Leah told be about Shihobu Courts, the courts they built in my honour. It seems so overwhelming. I wonder if I'll still be treated the same after my win. After all, I left the day after the tournamnet, and not too many people had time to congradulate me what with the press interviewing me. Sometimes, I hate being the best junior female player in North America. I hope people don't treat me like a celebrity. I'm still just a normal girl._

_In any other circumstance, I could probably tolerate being treated like a celebrity. But it's spring break! I just want to hang out and catch up with Leah and Tiffany. And Kome and Ryoma too. It's like my old life is merging with my new one. I wonder what my other classmates will be doing this week. I just hope I don't have to deal with that stupid Zack Welsh._

Ryoma took note of the book Sayomi was writing in.

"What's that, your journal?"  
"Yeah."  
"Anything about me in there?"

"That's personal!

"Oh well, I tried."

"Um..Ryoma-kun..."

"What?"

"Do you...consider me your girlfriend?"

"Uh...yes? Why?"  
"It's not important."

"Check it out, we're over the ocean."  
"Oh, yeah. Isn't it pretty?"

"It's beautiful, like your sparkling blue eyes."

"Ryoma, you're so sweet!"

She smiled and tapped Kome on the shoulder.

"Look, isn't the ocean so pretty?"

"Absolutely gorgeous!"

"I know something else that's absoluely gorgeous..." he whispered.

"Shut up!"

"So what's Canada like, Sayomi? More specifically, the city you're from and the city we're going to."

"Well, it's a pretty small town, and for the most part, pretty quiet. But it's not like, a super old-fashioned rural town."  
"So it's like a town...but a city?"

"Pretty much."

"Any good tennis courts?"

"Well there's the one I'd practiced at since I started playing tennis. And then there's a new court that Leah told me about."  
"When'd she tell you?"  
"When we were at the airport. When I was having the webcam chat with them."  
"Really? We should go."

"Oh, I don't think we'll want to go there...how about I show you the courts I practiced at?"

"Maybe I'll practice there too."

Realizing that her journal was still on her lap, Sayomi quickly shoved it back into her bag. She took Atobe's buisness card out of her pocket and looked it over once more.

"What's that?"  
"It's nothing."

She put it back in her bag and looked out the window, watching the ocean as the flew over it.

"Something wrong?"

"Ah, no. Just a little nervous that something might go wrong with my plan."

"Don't worry. We know exactly what to do."

"I know...but then there are those things that you can't help."

"Don't worry about it. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the next 13 hours sitting next to me." he smiled.


	25. 13 Hours Left

Kome turned on her iPod and also began writing her journal.

_Kome's Journal, Friday, March 22,_

_Yes! Spring break is finally here! It's finally time to kick back, and relax. Usually, I hang out with Sayomi for spring break because she's shy and doesn't have all that many friends, but this spring break...well I'm still spending spring break with Sayomi, but we're going to her home town to visit her old friends in Canada! In fact, we're on the plane right now! First class!_

_This trip is me, Sayomi, Ryoma, and his dad. Ryoma and his dad were the ones who payed for the plane tickets. But why would Ryoma want to go to Canada? With Sayomi? She said it was only because Ryoma was paying for the plane tickets, but I think there's a little more going on....I mean, if Ryoma was only paying for the plane tickets, why would he get one for himself?_

_There's more that just a classmate relationship between Sayomi and Ryoma, I just know it. I have to find out for sure. Sayomi would hate me if I spread rumors about her! I've got to stay on top of this. I'm the girl who's always caught up on the latest gossip, and I won't stop now. The girls are counting on me to know all the gossip, and I can't stop just because Sayomi is my best friend. _

_I have to know everything! I've got to know when it started, where it started, how long it's been going on, why it's happening, but more importantly, if anything is going on at all! It would be best if I asked Sayomi, because I don't think Ryoma would tell me. And the only other person who would know about Sayomi's personal life, it would be me. But I don't know! It would be easy to just watch them for our 13 hour flight, but I'm in front of them instead of behind! And it would be kind of hard if I had to be turned around for this whole flight. And pretty obvious._

_It's only been about half an hour since we left, 12 and a half more hours to go. 12 and a half more hours until I get to meet Sayomi's old best friends! I can't wait, it's going to be so much fun! I wonder what they're like. I wonder if we'll get to meet some of Sayomi's other friends._

_I wonder if Sayomi's plan will go smoothly. I hope it will. It sounds like a lot of fun! I wonder what we'll do when we get there. Maybe we'll play some tennis with her friends. Well, maybe they'll play and I'll watch. I'm not going to embarass myself in front of Sayomi's friends! With any luck, Sayomi's old friends will be my new friends!_

_I wonder what Canada is like. I did some research and found out that there are 10 provinces and 3 territorries. I'n not really sure which one Sayomi's from, because she never really told me. Or did she? You'd think I'd remember something like that. Hm...I wonder what the weather will be like too..._

She turned around and looked at Sayomi, who was talking to Ryoma about her life before she moved to Japan.

"Something you need, Kome-chan?"  
"Which part of Canada are you from?"

"It's a city in the southern part of Ontario."

"One more thing."

"Hm?"  
"Is there anything going on between you and Ryoma?" she whispered.

"That's so random, why would you even ask that?"

"Well is there?"

"No. Nothing at all."

"Okay..."

Kome decided that she would have to find out for sure if Sayomi was telling the truth or not.

"Hey, could you do me a favor and pretend to sleep?"  
"I was about to take a nap anyway."

Nanjiro drifted off to sleep as Kome got out her compact to inspect her hair and makeup. Ryoma heard his father snoring and nudged Sayomi.

"Hey, my dad's asleep. Wanna make out a little?"

"But what about Kome?"

"She's too busy with her vanity at the moment."

"Are you sure? Knowing her, she's probably spying on us."

"Well, you know her better than I do. Wanna play poker then?"

"Sure. But you know me, always playing for a prize."

"For secrets?"  
"Kome's right there y'know. Probably listening right now."

Kome turned around to face them.

"I am not!"

The two rolled their eyes at Kome.

"Are you sure about that?"  
"Okay, fine. I was listening. But is it still eavesdropping if I didn't know what you were saying?"

"Well even if you couldn't understand it, you were still listening when you weren't supposed to."

"Okay, okay. I'll stop."

"So Ryoma, what do you want to play for?"

"How about for once, we just play for nothing?"

"All right, fine."


	26. 5 and a Half More Hours

After about 20 minutes of playing, Ryoma got bored and decided to put the cards away.

"So Sayomi-chan, tell me about what your life was like before you came to Japan."

"Why?"  
"Because I'm interested."

"Well...okay...I lived in the same place all my life, up until I moved to Japan."  
"When did you move to Japan, anyway?"

"It's kind of a funny story actually. The day after I won that junior tournament, I just sorta left."

"So you became the best junior female player in North America...and then you just up and left the country?"

"Heh heh...yeah..."

"Why?"

"Well I'd heard about Seigaku and I was registered since March that year. And I wanted to do something really fun before I left for Japan. They were holding the tournament to end the summer..."  
"So you ended your summer with a bang, then left to start your new life at Seigaku."

"Exactly."

"But enough about the past, let's talk about the future. Planning anything special?"

"Other than spending spring break in Canada? Um...no."

She decided it would be best not to worry Ryoma by telling him about Atobe's offer to her.

"So about you being North America's best female player...do you think the whole thing has blown over by now or are we gonna get swarmed by people when they recognize you?"

"Don't worry, it's been years. I'm sure they've all forgotten about me by now."

"So what's there to do in Canada?" Kome asked.

Sayomi began talking about all the things she used to do before she moved. Meanwhile, back at the public courts, Atobe had finished his scouting and was the last to leave. He decided that he would pay a visit to the team captain of Hyotei's girls team, Hidemi Kaneko.

"Keigo-kun? What are you doing here?"

"I was scouting at the public courts again."  
"Spot anyone good this time?"

"Yes, I did. I was wondering if there was any open spots on the girls team."

"What'd you do, promise her a spot on the team?"

"Trust me, if you saw her, you'd know why I did it."

"How old was this girl anyway?"

"I'm not sure, I never asked her age. But she looked about twelve."

"What?! A first year on _my _team?! No way!"

"Please, just give her a chance. For me?"

"Alright, fine. But one mistake, and she's off the team!"

"Thank you. That's all I ask."

Back on the plane, Sayomi had just finished telling Kome and Ryoma about the things she used to do.

"Wow, that sounds cool! Are we gonna get to do any of it?"

"I hope so."

"So any particular courts you liked to practice at?"

"There was one that Leah's dad owns, Fletcher Courts."

"Fletcher? Is that Leah's last name?"

"Yep. Oh, but in English, the names are kinda backwards. In Japanese, we'd say her name as Fletcher Leah. But in Canada, it's Leah Fletcher. I thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks, that's helpful!"

"Oh, and I bought you this in case you wanted to learn some English."

She pulled out a Japanese-English dictionary and an English learning book.

"Oh, thanks! I'm going to read it right now!"

She turned around, opening the book and reading every word.

"And you didn't get anything for me?"  
"You already know English!"

"But still, you could've gotten me _something_."

"Then how about I give you this."

She detatched the bell from her ribbon collar and handed it to him.

"Your bell..."

"You were right, it's too noisy."

"Keep it. I didn't mean anything by that comment."

He reattatched the bell to her collar and went back to reading his book. A few hours later, Nanjiro had awoken from his nap to find that Ryoma and Sayomi had fallen asleep on each other.

"Aww, now isn't that cute?"

He pulled out his camera and snapped a few pictures. Kome took her headphones off and looked over at Nanjiro.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't that cute?"

He pointed to the peacefully sleeping Ryoma and Sayomi.

"I knew there was something going on between them!"  
"That doesn't prove anything, it just means they fell asleep."

"I know there's more than just a classmate relationship there, and I'll prove it somehow!"

She put her headphones back on and went back to reading her book. Nanjiro continued to snap pictures until the flash finally woke the two up.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Taking pictures..."  
"Why?!"  
"Because it was cute!"

Sayomi checked her watch.

"What time is it?"

"2 in the morning."

"How much longer until we land?"

"5 and a half hours."

"I'll wait another few hours until I take my laptop out."  
"It's not like we're going to get any internet connection up here."

"There's more to a computer than just the internet."

She took out a picture of Leah and Tiffany.

"_5 and a half more hours...until I get to see you again..._"

"Who's that? Your friends?"

"Yeah, that's Leah and Tiffany. I took this picture before I left."

"I can't wait to meet them!"

"I can't wait to see them again!"

"Do they speak any Japanese?"  
"I don't think so. The didn't know the slightest bit when I left, but who knows, they could have learned some."

Sayomi went back to reading Romeo and Juliet.

"Romeo and Juliet? We didn't get an assignment in English, did we?"

"Ha ha, no. I like the story, that's all."

"So you've read it before?"

"Got a problem with that?"

"You're weird, Sayomi-chan..."

"Why don't you try reading some Shakespeare before you call me weird?"

"I have, for an English assignment once."

"Would you ever read it again?"

"If I was forced."

"What's wrong with Shakespeare?"

"No one actually talks like that."  
"In the sixteenth century they did."


	27. The Plan Put Into Action

Soon, they had finally landed in Canada.

"Now landing: Flight 861 from Japan."

"Tiffany, did you hear that?! That must be the flight our surprise is coming from! C'mon, let's go!"  
"Don't you think it'd be easier to find us if we just stayed here?"

"Good point."

Kome, Ryoma and Sayomi excitedly stepped off the plane. By that time, Sayomi had already put on her wig and had changed into a Hollister shirt and jeans. She lent Kome one of her American Eagle hoodies to put over her clothes. She decided Ryoma looked fine in what he was wearing, so she decided to skip buying stuff at the gift shop.

"Alright Ryoma's dad, find Leah and Tiffany and stall them while we follow from a distance. Here's a picture frrom a few years ago. They look pretty much the same."

She handed him the picture of Leah and Tiffany. Nanjiro headed off to look for Leah and Tiffany, Kome, Ryoma and Sayomi hesitating before following him. They blended into the crowd of people, keeping a close eye on Nanijro. Not long after, he found Leah and Tiffany sitting and waiting on a bench.

"Are you two Leah and Tiffany?"

"Yes. Are you bringing Sayomi's gift?"

"Yup."  
"So what is it?!"

He pulled the small decorative box out of his pocket.

"Woah...it's so fancy..."  
"But it's tiny..."  
"Is that for the both of us?"  
"Or is there another one?"

"Nope, this one is for the both of you."  
"So what's inside it?!"  
"I'm not really sure, Sayomi told me not to open it."

"Alright Tiffany, let's open it on three..."  
"One..."  
"Two..."  
"Three!"

They flipped the lid back and saw the note.

"Turn..."  
"Around?"

Sayomi and Kome had taken that time to remove their disguises. Obeying the note, Leah and Tiffany slowly turned around, their faces lighting up at the sight of Sayomi.

"Sayomi! You're back!"  
"Holy effing mother, you died your hair red?!"

"Just a streak..."

"Enough small talk, get over here and hug us!"

Sayomi ran to Leah and Tiffany's outstretched arms and hugged them excitedly. Leah released Sayomi as she caught a glimpse of Ryoma.

"Who is that hottie and is he single?!"

"That's my friend Ryoma, and he's single, but he's not really that interested in girls..."

"Well I'm gonna find a way to get him interested in me, because he is hot!"

"Oh, did I meantion he speaks English?..."

"Uh...shit."

"I'm Kome if anyone cares."  
"What'd she say?"  
"That's Kome, my very best friend from Japan. She was learning English on the plane so if you wanna say something simple, go ahead."

"My name is Leah." she said slowly.

"My name is Tiffany." she said even slower.

"My name is Kome!"

"Oh, by the way Sayomi, we still have your room set up in both our houses."  
"Yeah, after you left, we never touched your room in case you came back."  
"And now here you are!"

"What about us?"

Sayomi thought for a moment.

"I'll sleep in my room over at my house. Kome can sleep in Leah's room at my house, and Ryoma can sleep in Tiffany's room at my house. And you guys will sleep at your own houses."

"Ryoma can sleep in my room!"

"I think he might be more comfortable in a house full of people he knows."  
"Excuse me, I think you forgot someone."  
"Oh, Ryoma's dad! I guess you can sleep..."

"He could sleep in my room over at Leah's house. You don't mind, do you Leah?"

"Well it's your room, not mine."

"So it's decided!"

"But we won't be sleeping yet, it's only 6:30!"

Kome looked over at a clock, and to her surprise, it read 6:30.

"6:30? But we left at 6:30. Unless it's 6:30 am..."  
"Nope, it's 6:30 pm. You're forgetting about the time difference. Don't forget that we're halfway around the world."

"Well anyway Sayomi, you brought all your tennis stuff, right?"  
"I wouldn't enen think of coming here without it!"

"Do Ryoma and Kome play tennis too?"

"Well Ryoma does, but Kome doesn't."

"Ryoma, translate." Kome ordered.

He listened to everything they were saying and repeated every word.

"Well did Ryoma bring his stuff?"  
"Probably."

"So let's go to Shihobu Courts then!"

"Wait, wait, wait, Shihobu Courts?!"  
"Oh, well after Sayomi left for Japan, they started building some tennis courts in her honor! It was awesome."

"Can we go home and unpack first?"

"Details, details."

The six went back to Sayomi's house first, as the three kids would be staying there.

"So Sayomi, what's the deal with you and Ryoma?"

"Ugh, not you too! We're classmates, and that's it."  
"Then why'd he come to Canada with you?"

"I've never been to Canada before."

"And the hottie speaks!"

"Sayomi-chan, are you sure you're comfortable with lying to your best friends?"  
"I'm not lying to them, there's nothing going on between me and Ryoma!"

But in her heart, she truly felt guilty for lying to her three best friends. When they had finished unpacking their bags, they went back to Leah's house so Nanjiro could unpack his. Sayomi opened Leah's closet and grabbed a pair of her shorts.

"I need to borrow these, I can't play in jeans."

"Alright, bring them back tomorrow."

She headed to the bathroom to change as Ryoma helped his father unpack.


	28. Back to Her Hometown

Soon, they headed off to Shihobu Courts.

"So tell me more about Shihobu Courts."

"Well, there's like, twenty courts in all, ten indoor and ten outdoor."

"Wow, this place must be pretty big."  
"It is! And there's also this stadium that's connected where they hold tournaments."

"And since you guys can't play tennis to save your life, I'd assume you've never been in any of the tournaments, right?"  
"Wrong! We may have been terrible at tennis when you left, but we've been practicing!"

"We may not be as good as you, in fact, we may never be as good as you, but we've played in some local tournaments."

"But the question is: have you won any?"

"That's not important..."

"Hey, I just remembered something!"  
"What?"

"There's a tournament tomorrow! They're gonna take last-minute entries until 7:30!"  
"What time is it now?"

"7:20! C'mon, let's go sign up!"

"Leah, we're already signed up."

"I was talking about Sayomi and her hot friend!"

"My name's Ryoma."

Thry ran inside the building toward the reception desk.

"Sandra!"  
"Leah, Tiffany. If you're here for some late practice, the sixth court's open."

She didn't bother to look up, as Leah and Tiffany came to practice every day.

"We're here about the tournament!"  
"You already signed up last weekend when we posted the sign up sheets."  
"Not us, Sayomi!"

"Sayomi? Sayomi Shihobu? You're kidding, she moved to Japan years ago."

"She's back!"

Her eyes widened as as came face to face with Sayomi.

"Oh my gosh, it's really you! You're back!"

"Hi..."

She waved nervously.

"I want to sign up for the tournament, if that's okay."  
"Me too."

"Well if you want to know more, it's a co-ed tournament, so you just might end up playing some guys."

"Sounds like fun."

"But let me tell you now, don't be surprised if some of them back out and forfeit."

"That's okay. If they want to forfiet thae tournament, that's their problem."

"Oh, and there's also going to be a doubles tournament too, after the singles."

"Do we pick partners?"

"Actually, the partners are going to be chosen at random. We're going to try to do girl boy partnerships."

"So what's the age group for this tournament?"

"Well it's strictly 12 year olds. There's separate tournaments for 13 year olds, 14 year olds, and 15 year olds. You're so good, I'd reccomend you sign up for the 15 year old tournament."  
"No, I want to play against 12 year olds. Ryoma, please don't sign up for the 15 year old tournament."

"Fine, where do I sign up?"

Sandra handed them both a sheet of paper and a pen.

"I can't wait to see you play! I mean, I've only ever seen the taped tournament you were in before you left."  
"Hey, I have it right at home, let's go back and watch it!"

Tiffany dragged Sayomi out the door when she had finished filling out the forms. At Tiffany's house, Leah went into the kitchen to make popcorn while Tiffany searched though her DVD's for the tournament.

"Got the popcorn!"

"Got the DVD!"

Tiffany popped it into the DVD player and took a seat on the couch.

"Is it okay if I just skip ahead to Sayomi's match?"

"Totally!"  
"I'm alright with that."  
"I don't really care."

"Uh..um..."

Kome's English faltered as she tried to remember the word for yes.

"Yes!"

"Okay, it's unanimous!"

Tiffany picked up the remote and excitedly fast-forwarded to Sayomi's match.

"Hey...I just noticed something."

"What?"

"Sayomi, you were playing with your right hand!" Leah snapped.

Everyone looked closer at the screen.

"You are!"  
"I thought you said you were left handed."  
"I am..."

"So are you telling me that you managed to become the best junior female player in North America...by playing with your non-dominant hand?"

"Sorta..."

"You are just...astonishing."

They continued to watch Sayomi's unmatched skill dominate the court. When her match was over, Tiffany shut off the t.v. and everyone clapped for Sayomi.

"Is there anything you can't do?!"

"Um...the periodic table of elements."

"Are you kidding, you have to learn the periodic table of elements?! That's tough..."

"Actually, the periodic table of elements isn't really too hard...but I have trouble remembering what they stand for."

"But still, we don't have to learn the periodic table of elements until high school!"

"So what else wanna do?"

"Back to the tennis courts?"

"Yeah, I never did get to play."

They walked out the door and headed for Shihobu Courts, being ambushed by a swarm of people as they walked out the door.

"It's true!"

"She's back!"

They brought out their phones and began taking pictures.

"Cut it out, losers! Sayomi's a normal person!"

Amongst the crowd of middle schoolers, most of them Sayomi's classmates from elementary school, was a photographer for a monthly tennis magazine. She pushed her way to the front and brushed herself off.

"I'm Candace Walker, photographer for Junior Tennis Monthly."

She held her hand out in hopes of a handshake. Sayomi shook her hand and smiled.

"Is there something I can do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could get an interview for next month's issue."

"Well it's a bit too late for me to go out and do an interview right now."

"Will you be playing in tomorrow's tournament?"

"Uh huh."

"Would it be okay if I interviewed you after the tournament then?"

"Okay."

She smiled. Leah and Tiffany separated the crowd and walked down the newly formed path.


	29. Truth or Dare

When they arrived at the courts, there were more people waiting to take pictures. One of the people was from the local newspaper.

"Sayomi! Are you about to practice?"

"Yes, actually."  
"Would it be okay if I took a few shots for the newspaper?"  
"I guess so."

"Sandra! Any open courts?"

"For Sayomi, any court is open!"

"But seriously, are there any courts open?"  
"Pick any court you'd like. Wherever Sayomi feels most comfortable practicing."

"I'd like to practice on an open court, please. I'd hate to have to force someone to leave."

"Well they're all open, considering it's almost 8."

"Okay, thank you."

They strolled though the gate toward the outdoor courts, the sunset beginning to fade.

"How pretty..."  
"Sayomi, do you wanna play doubles with us?"  
"Yeah! Let's show her how good we've gotten!"

"So Ryoma, I guess we'll be partners?"

"Sure."

Sayomi strolled onto the court, admiring the fading sunset. The moment she set foot on the court, her personality changed.

"Holy crap! I almost forgot about that!"

"Let's just play. I'll let you guys serve first."  
"Sayomi, take net."

"Gotcha. One more thing, Ryoma."  
"What?"  
"Go easy on them."

"What'd you tell him?!"

"I told him to go easy on you."

"We're not _that _bad!"

"No, he's just that good."

"Tiffany, take net?"

"I don't care."

"Alright, then I'll serve."

Everyone got into position and prepared to begin the game. Leah served as quickly as she could, only to discover that the ball had gone out.

"Well that just sucks."

"It's our serve, don't let your guard down. And Ryoma, give them an easy one."

Ryoma's serve soared straight at Leah's racket and she returned it with great power. Sayomi allowed the ball to go to the back of the court so Ryoma could hit it.

"Is that the best you can do?"

"No..."

"Give it your all!"

"We are!"

"Just serve it already, Ryoma!"

"Yeah, yeah."

He served the ball as slowly as he could, Leah missing the ball completely.

"Um...I can do better."

"Then prove it."

"I can't do this anymore, you two suck."

He shook his head and took a seat on the bench.

"Huh. My partner just left me. Play singles, I'll watch."

"You're goin' down, Leah!"  
"No way, I'm going to win!"

"No me!"  
"No me!"

Sayomi sat down with Ryoma and Kome and watched as Leah and Tiffany argued.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

"No, they always do that."

"Okay..."

"Just play already, guys! I wanna see how well you play. No points, so no winner."

"Thanks for sucking all the fun out of it..."

"Just go!"

"Alright, alright."

Leah and Tiffany practiced volleys for a few hours, with Ryoma and Sayomi critiquing them and giving them tips. Sayomi glanced at the clock.

"Guys, it's 10:00."

"It is?!"

"Already?!"  
"Should we be heading home?"  
"When does this place even close at?"  
"Let's go ask Sandra!"

They walked inside to the reception desk.

"Sandra, when does this place close?"

"I don't think it does."

"Really?! Awesome!"

"But anyway, I think we should go home now."

"Okay."

As they arrived back at Sayomi's house, Kome, Ryoma and Sayomi got their beds ready for the night.

"Don't tell me you're going to bed already!"

"Of course not!"  
"So what'll we do now?"  
"Truth or dare!"

"I'm okay with that."

The five sat around in a circle, ready to play.

"I'm going first!"

"Alright, go Kome."  
"Sayomi, is there anything going on between you and Ryoma? And remember, you have to tell the truth."  
"I already told you no!"  
"Oh fine, I believe you. Leah, wanna go next?"

"What'd she ask me?"  
"If you wanna go next."

"Oh, okay! Sayomi, to prove that there's nothing going on between you and your hot friend-"  
"My name's Ryoma."  
"Seven minutes in heaven, both of you!"  
"What?!"

"You heard me! In the closet!"

Leah, Tiffany and Kome pushed the two of them into the closet together.

"Shit...I got stuck in a closet again...I hate seven minutes in heaven."

"Again? Oh yeah, at Momo-senpai's party you went in the closet with Kaido-senpai. What happened in there anyway?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, something happened in there, Momo-senpai let you out before the seven minutes was over."

"I sat in the closet with Kaido-senpai and we lied to Momo-senpai."

"You're lying to me. Tell me the truth."

"Okay...Kaido-senpai kissed me."

"Seriously?"  
"Yes."

"Isn't it much nicer when you're not lying to me?"  
"But I'm still lying to Kome, Leah and Tiffany..."

Kome, Leah and Tiffany pressed their ears against the door.

"Kome, I heard our names come up, what're they saying?!"  
"Huh?!"

"Ugh, she doesn't speak English! I forgot!"

Ryoma and Sayomi continued to talk as the others listened to the muffled conversation through the door.

"Hey, it's for the best. Could you imagine how they'd react if they knew?"  
"Yeah, I guess you're right..."  
"Well I'm glad you can imagine their reactions, because I can't."

"Well Kome would never let me hear the end of it-"  
"Yes I would!" she shouted through the door.

"And Leah and Tiffany would never quit bugging me about it. Not to mention everyone else at school..."

"I probably wouldn't hear the end of it either."

"And Eiji-senpai would be crushed..."

"It's alright to lie to your friends once in a while."  
"No it isn't!"

"Well for our own selfishness, it's perfectly okay."

"Yeah...but still...I feel really bad about lying to them..."

"Will a kiss make up for it?"

"Why don't you try it?"

Ryoma leaned in for a kiss as Sayomi searched around her closet floor. As Ryoma was only inches from her face, she held up an old tennis magazine.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"But it wouldn't have been as fun if I didn't find the magazine."

"How about this time you don't hold up the magazine?"

"Nah." she stuck her tongue out.

"So what're we gonna be doing for the rest of the week?"

"I guess we're just going to hang out and go with the flow."

"Hey, how long has it been?"

"About five minutes."

"Anything you wanna tell me before we get outta here?"  
"Kome's listening y'know."  
"Am not!"

"Has she been listening the whole time?"

"Probably."  
"No I wasn't!"

"She's probably going to tell everyone what we've said."

"Then we'll make sure no one beleives her."

"But she'll still know."  
"Then we'll make sure that even she doesn't beleive it."

"So you're planning to make her think she's crazy?"

"Exactly."  
"That isn't nice!"  
"Then she shouldn't have been invading our privacy."

Leah opened the door, allowing the two out.

"Couldn't you have just believed me?"

"Wasn't that more fun though?"

"No, it makes me think you don't trust me to tell you the truth."

"Let's go do something less...potentially violent."

"Movies?"  
"Movies!"

"Subtitles."

"Subtitles?"  
"Kome."

"Leah!"  
"Tiffany!"  
"What are you guys doing?"  
"The name game?"

"Let's just go watch a movie."

The five went out to the family room, looking through the DVD's.

"We should watch Sleeping Beauty!"

"Okay!"

They stayed up for hours watching old Disney movies.


	30. Eiji's Surprise

By 1:00 AM, they had all fallen asleep. Sayomi had soon been awakened by her vibrating cellphone.

"Hello?"

"Sayomi-chan! How come you answer your phone in English?"

"Eh? Eiji-senpai? What are you doing calling at this hour?"

Hearing Sayomi's phone conversation woke Leah, who in turn woke Tiffany, Kome, and Ryoma to translate for them. He didnt really want to, but having nothing better to do at one in the morning, he decided to anyways.

"What do you mean 'at this hour'? It's 2 PM! Did you just wake up? Because I'd never expect you to be the type to sleep in late."

"How did you even get my number?"

"...That's not important."

"So why'd you call?"  
"Wanna hang out today?"

"See, I would, except I kinda can't."

"Oh, okay. Tomorrow then?"

"Sorry, no."

"Any days you _can _come hang out with me?"

"Not this spring break, no."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because I'm not really home this week."  
"Where are you then? A relative's?"

"You could say that."

"Where's this relative live?"

By now, Leah and Tiffany had been quietly been asking questions about the call.

"Who's that?"  
"Is it a boy?"  
"Is he cute?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Shhhh!"

She waved her hand frantically at them in attempts to keep them quiet.

"I don't know if you'd want to come visit me, it's pretty out of the way..."

"Nowhere's too out of the way if I'm gonna visit you!"  
"That's sweet, but it's _really _out of the way."

"How out of the way?"

"The other side of the world out of the way..."

"What?! Where are you anyway?!"

"Canada..."

"You went back?! You just left without even telling me?! I can't believe you'd do that to me!"

"No, no, it's not like that! I'm only here for spring break, I'm going back to Japan after this week."

"Oh. Okay! But what'll I do for the rest of the week?"  
"I dunno, hang out with the people in your class that are your own age that have known you longer than I have?"

"I should come to Canada to come visit you!"

"What? That's not what I said!"

"Don't you worry about a thing. The regulars will be in Canada before you know it!"  
"How will you know where to go?"

"I just will. How isn't important."

"Creepy but okay..."

"So like I said, the regulars are gonna be in Canada before you know it!"

She hung up the phone and put it in her pocket.

"The regulars are coming to Canada...that's gonna totally change our spring break."

"Ah shit, more people..." he muttered under his breath.

"Regulars?"

"On the tennis team."  
"Are they cute?!"

"Leah!"  
"Sorry, it's like a reflex!"

"Well anyway, it's 1 in the morning, I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, me too."  
"Same here."

"I will too."

"Then I guess I will too."

Later, when everyone was awake, they decided not to head to the tennis courts, as they would be full of people practicing for the day's tournament. Instead, they had used the court in Sayomi's backyard.

"You don't need to practice, Sayomi. You're probably going to win!"

"Guess I'll just go inside and hang out for a while. When does the tournament start anyway?"

"4:30."

"Well, I've got seven and a half hours to...do something."

"Why don't you go freak out the hopeful guys by walking around town with your hot friend there?"

"My name's Ryoma."  
"I guess that sounds like fun. Wanna go, Ryoma?"

"Not like I've got anything better to do."  
"I'm gonna stay here and watch Leah and Tiffany."


	31. A Quick Practice Session

Sayomi decided to walk around near the tennis courts where she knew there would be a lot of people.

"Hey Ryoma, I've got a fun idea."

"What?"

"Well there's plenty of people around, already snapping pictures and whispering."  
"And?"  
"So let's give them something to whisper about."

"That's not like you at all. Are we standing on a tennis court?"

They looked down at where they were standing. They had made their way into Shihobu Courts, through the crowd of people, and onto the first court.

"Oh, that makes sense now."

"So are we gonna make out or what?"  
"What?!"

"We'll be all over the news in no time. It'll be fun!"

"No way. Make out sessions only when we're alone."

Ryoma pushed her off the tennis court and sat on a nearby bench.

"Something a little more discreet maybe?"

"At least hold my hand for a little."

"A few minutes, and that's it."

Ryoma reached for Sayomi's hand, his fingers becoming intertwined with hers. Everywhere they went, all eyes were on them, camera flashes blinding everyone.

"Gah, I need some sunglasses or something!"

"Yeah, like I said before, it'd be harder to play tennis if you were blind."

"Here Sayomi, take mine!"

"No no, mine!"

Crowds of people were pushing their way through to Sayomi, offering their sunglasses to her.

"I thought you said all this would have blown over by now."  
"To be honest, I thought it would have."

"Well, you're obviously still a pretty big name here."

"I know! We should head over to Fletcher Courts and give Leah's dad some buisness!"

"Let's go back and get our stuff then."

Ryoma and Sayomi headed back home to get their tennis bags.

"Hey guys, back already?"  
"I thought you weren't going to the tennis courts because they'd be packed."

"Psh, this is Sayomi we're talking about! If she wants to practice, people will make room."

"Oh quit kidding around, Leah. I'll just wait for an empty court like everyone else."  
"But you're not like everyone else! You're pretty much famous!"

"Well, I guess we'll find out what happens when we get to Fletcher Courts."  
"Fletcher Courts? Aren't you going to practice at Shihobu Courts?"

"Nah, I thought I'd go over to Fletcher Courts and give your dad some buisness."

"Okay! Have fun!"

They walked together to Fletcher Courts, attracting attention from all the locals.

"Excuse me, Sayomi?"  
"Hm?"

"Who's that?"

"A friend from school."

"A 'friend', eh?"

"Yes, a friend. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go practice for today's tournament."

"I wish you luck! I'll be watching the tournament!"

They continued on their way to Fletcher Courts. Sayomi took out her racket and attempted to spin it around her wrist.

"What are you doing?"  
"Trying to spin it around my wrist like Eiji-senpai does."

"Just don't hit me."

"I promise you nothing."

"Put the racket down so no one gets hurt. Namely, me."

"Oh fine."

She put her racket back into her bag and threw it over her shoulder. When they arrived at Fletcher Courts, they attempted to push their way through the crowd, only to be pushed farther back. When Sayomi was recognized, the sea of people was parted and they were allowed to the front.

"Oh, thank you."  
"Our pleasure, Miss Shihobu!"  
"Just call me Sayomi!"

"It's our pleasure, Miss Sayomi!"  
"...Good enough. Thanks again!"

They stepped onto the nearest court and Sayomi changed to her firey, competitive persona.

"Y'know Sayomi, I'm starting to like this special treatment."

"Me too. It's kinda fun."

"I could get used to this..."

"Maybe you can get some special treatment too, being a friend of mine."

"Sounds like fun."  
"They'll be talking about us for days!"  
"Then let's give them something to talk about."

"Nah, I'm gonna save the flashy stuff for the tournament."

"Is this one going to be televised?"

"I dunno, let's ask."

"But who?"  
"Anyone."

She raised her voice and asked the entire crowd.

"Does anyone know if the tournament is going to be televised?"

A barrage of answers came at her, most of them being yes.

"Thank you!"

"So looks like your fame is going to get a huge boost."

"That wasn't my intention, but yes. And it seems you might get some fame too."

"But it'll all be over after this week. We'll be normal people again when we get back to Japan."

"Oh, could I ask one more thing about the tournament?"  
"What?"  
"Go easy on them."

"Are we going to be playing against people as bad as your friends?"  
"Maybe, I dunno."

"Damn. And why can't we play against the 15-year olds?"

"Because I want to play against the 12-year olds."

"Wow, you really want to win that badly?"

"No, I just want to play against people my own age."

"So then why can't _I _play against the 15-year olds?"

"Because I want you to play with me. And besides, we already signed up."


	32. More Fun Before the Tournament

After a few hours, they packed up and headed out. They walked through the town, talking to just about everyone. Soon, they decided to go back home to rest before the tournament.

"Hey guys! Did you have fun?"

"Yes, we did."

"Did people make room?"  
"Yeah..."  
"I told you so!"

"Yeah yeah, you were right, I was wrong."

"That's a nice change of pace."

Leah smiled and sighed in satisfaction.

"And before you say anything, Tiffany, if I'm an idiot, so are you!"

"Then I'm an idiot."  
"I'm not an idiot!"

"If it helps, I think you're both idiots."

"Ryoma!"

"I'm going inside."  
"Yeah, me too."

"I'm gonna stay out here and watch them."

Sayomi went into her room and picked out a comfortable outfit during the tournament.

"Do you think we'll end up playing each other?"

"Maybe."  
"If we do, are you still going to go easy on me?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw those matches. You were unbeatable. No one even came close to scoring a point. And that was with your right hand. I'm a little scared to see what you can do with your left hand."

"You're just saying that."  
"No, I'm not. I truly and honestly think you're an amazing player."  
"You mean it?"

"Of course I do."

He leaned in to kiss her when Kome walked into the room.

"Aha, I knew it!"

"What?"  
"You're more than just classmates! You lied!"

"No she didn't. She had something in her eye."

"Oh please, that's the lamest excuse ever! You kissed, I know it!"  
"Prove it."

"I have no proof, but I just know it!"  
"If you've got no proof, no one's going to believe you."  
"Just stop it already! Didn't you belive me, Kome?"

"I want to Sayomi, I really do. But I'm still suspicious..."

"Kome! You're supposed to be my best friend! Just believe me, okay?"

"Okay..."

She showed Kome the outfit she would wear during the tournament.

"So what do you think of this?"

"I think it's cute! But I'd maybe go with something a little less...plain."  
"Like what?"

Kome began rummaging through Sayomi's coset, making a mess of her room like on the night of the dance.

"Kome, you've gotta stop doing that to my room."  
"Doing what?"

She turned around and looked at what she'd done.

"Oh. My bad. I'll clean up, I swear."

"Find anything yet?"

"This! This is perfect!"

She held up a sparkly white t-shirt with red sleeves and a maple leaf on the front.

"Hey, maybe since you're such a big name around here, people will want you to endorse their stuff!"

"Nah, I'll just wear this."

"But that's what being a celebrity is all about! Endorsements, free stuff, getting mobbed by fans, throwing tantrums in public, all that fun stuff."

"How would you know?! You've never been famous!"

"Oh fine, be all logical then."

"Come on, I'll let you come out with me and we'll go have some celebrity fun."

"Endorsements, free stuff, getting mobbed by fans, throwing tantrums, and all that fun stuff?!"  
"Maybe not the endorsements or tantrums, but yeah, the fun stuff."

They headed out again, stopping for lunch at a fast food resturant.

"Y'know, this isn't the best lunch for you, seeing as you have a tournament to play later."

"Well I don't care."

"Yeah, you'll probably win anyway."

"I don't care about winning, I just wanna have fun."

"Don't give me that crap! Everyone wants to win!"

"Well I'm mostly just doing it for fun."

After lunch, Kome suggested an impromptu autograph signing. They set up a table on the sidewalk near Shihobu Courts.

"Autographs from Sayomi Shihobu! Bring anything you want her to sign!"

"Don't you think we should get some paper in case people don't walk around carrying notepads?"

"That's a good point. I'm going to go inside and get some paper."

Within minutes people lined up at the table, bringing everything from simple paper to the clothes they were wearing.

"Sayomi, it's so great to have you back in Canada!"  
"Actually, I'm only here for the week."

"Aww, that's too bad. It would be so great if you moved back!"

After about an hour, they decided to pack up and head back home.

"We're back!"  
"So how's your tennis coming along?"

"Great! But we need something flashy like you do."  
"You don't need to copy me. Flashy is just my style, it's how I play."

"Still, I wanna make a stunning entrance with my partner in the doubles section. Can you teach me something?"  
"Oh fine, I'll teach you something simple."

"What about me?!"  
"I'll teach you something too, so don't freak out on me Tiffany."

"Alright, thanks."


	33. The Regulars Arrive!

By 4:00, Sayomi had been just putting the finishing touches on Leah and Tiffany's flashy doubles entrance.

"Sayomi-sama!"  
"There's only one person I can think of that calls me that..."

She turned around slowly to the Eiji and the other regulars at her back gate. She dropped her racket and jumped back in surprise.

"Ah! What the hell?!"

"Not happy to see us?"  
"No, I am...but...what the hell?!"

"Surprise! I told you we were coming!"

"How did you convice the others?"  
"I may have given them a few gifts..."

"A few?"  
"Okay, a lot."

"So the other regulars aren't here of their own will?"

"I am!" Momo smiled.

"So are we jumping your fence or what?"  
"No,I'll open the gate."

Eiji and the others excitedly ran into her backyard.

"Sayomi! Who are these hotties and where have you been hiding them?!"  
"...Japan?"

"Damnit...I knew failing that English exam would come back to haunt me..."

"It's okay Momo. The rest of us didn't even take English."

"Speak for yourself, Eiji."

"Oishi, you took English? Why didn't you tell us?"  
"It never came up."

"Huh. You'd think something like that would come up in conversation."

"Tezuka takes English too."

"Eh? But how would _you _know that, Sayomi?"  
"I'm in their English class."  
"You're in a third year English class?!"  
"Yeah, and she's the little show-off that sits at the back!"

"Tezuka, did you pass your English exam? Speaking of English exams, did you pass yours too, Oishi?"

"I passed...barely."

"So Sayomi, who're the hotties?!"  
"Ryoma, care to take this one? I'm not completely sure of all their names."  
"These are the regulars on the tennis team: Tezuka, Oishi, Eiji, Fuji, Inui, Kawamura, Momo and Kaido."

Each regular smiled and waved as their name was said.

"Who's the hot one with the glasses, the coach?"

"No, that's captain Tezuka."

"He's hot!"

"Thanks for the obvious, Leah."

"Tiffany, Leah, be quiet a sec, I gotta talk to these guys."

"Oh, fine."

"Hey, are you guys coming to watch the tournament?!"

The regulars looked at each other, unable to understand.

"Yes, we are."

"He speaks!"

"Leah, be quiet! So guys, you're coming to watch the tournament? Who told you about it?"

"Of course! Are you playing?"  
"Yeah, but who told you about it?"

"I have my ways of knowing..."

"The same way you knew where I lived?"

"Exactly!"

"I don't even want to know what your ways are."

"I can't wait to see you play! You're so amazing!"  
"Come to think of it, when we were coming over here, a lot of people seemed to know who you were."  
"Care to explain that, Sayomi-chan?"

Eiji crossed his arms and waited for Sayomi to explain, wanting the others to know.

"Well you see...around here, I'm pretty well known..."

"And why is that?"  
"Because I won a big tournament a few summers ago..."

"How big?"  
"It was for the title of the best junior female player in North America..."  
"What?!"

"So are you telling us...that you're the best junior female player in all of North America?!"

"Why wouldn't you have told us that before?!"  
"Because I barely know most of you!"

"So?!"

"I'm leaving."  
"Don't just leave us!"  
"The tournament is in fifteen minutes, I have to go."

"We'd better go find seats before there aren't any left!"

They grabbed their tennis bags and ran toward Shihobu Courts.

"You've even got a court named after you?!"

"Yeah..."

"Hurry your butt up Sayomi, we're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

They hurried over to stadium to check when their match would be.

"Oh by the way guys, where are you staying?"

"We should have planned better but uh...we could only get two rooms at the hotel."  
"Which means only four of us will have a place to stay..."  
"Where are the rest of you staying?"

"We don't know..."

"Well, mine's the first match so I gotta go."  
"We'll be right in the front row!"

Sayomi hurried off to see who her opponent would be.

"It's Tiffany?!"  
"Cool man, I get to play you!"  
"Just because we're best friends, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

"But I'd be happier if you did."

"Well it won't be much fun if I didn't go easy on you. Or anyone else for that matter."

"Alright! Playing with a handicap!"

After a few hours, the singles portion was over and there was a break before the doubles portion began.

"Sayomi-sama, you were awesome! You won every single match!"

"W-what did you think, Tezuka-senpai?"

"You played well, Sayomi."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry, we'll be right here for the doubles portion too!"

"Speaking of which, I really should check who my partner's going to be."  
"We'll come too!"

The group excitedly headed off to check the list.

"It's Ryoma!"  
"It's Ryoma?"  
"It's Ryoma!"  
"It's Ryoma?!"

"It's me?"

"It's you!"

"Enough of this!"

"Aww, you're no fun, Oishi."

"Leah, Leah, we're partners!"  
"Oh my gosh Tiffany, we are?!"

"We are!"  
"You are?"  
"We are!"  
"I said enough of this!"

Sayomi pulled Ryoma aside to come up with a strategy.

"So what're you thinking?"

"That you'd look incredibly cute with your hair cut short."

"I meant strategy!"

"You take net, I'll be in the back."

"As usual?"

"As usual."

"You gonna use some of your flashy stuff?"

"If I need to."

"In which case, no?"

"You underestimate these players so much!"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because they're better than you think!"

"Then why do you have such an easy time winning against them?"

"Because...because..."

"Say it."

"But I hate saying it!"

"Say it."

"...Because I'm better than them!"

She looked down and frowned.

"Why do you hate saying that so much?"

"Because I don't like to feel like I'm better than everyone..."

"But you are. Don't feel like you're avereage. You're way above average."

"Ryoma..."

"You're better than them, don't be afraid to say it."

"Don't make me say it again..."

"Say it, it's the truth."

"Don't make me say it!"

"Say it."

"Stop making me say it!"

"I'm not gonna quit until you say it again."

"Ryoma!"

"Sayomi..."

"Leah!"

"Tiffany!"

The two jumped in excitedly.

"What are you doing?"

"The name game?"

"We were discussing a strategy!"

"Say it..." he whispered.

"So guys, who are you playing first and when?"

"You guys, third match."

"Wow, they really like pitting me against my friends, don't they?"

"Well we may have requested a few things..."

"Oh well. At least I'm playing with a partner I'm used to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We've played together before and I've gotten used to playing with you."

"That sounds a little less insulting."

"Come on you two, the first match is starting!"

"But we don't play until the third."

"It doesn't matter!"

"I'll be hanging out in the locker rooms, see you later, Ryoma."


	34. A Friendly Match

Leah and Tiffany dragged Sayomi to the locker rooms.

"So what's your strategy?"

"Why would I tell you?!"

"So we could figure out our own strategy!"

"You need to be able to rely on each other."

"So Sayomi, will you be displaying those acrobatic abilities of yours?"

"Maybe."

"At least one! Please?"

"Yeah, it's so much fun to watch!"

"Well then maybe I will..."

"Are you as good at doubles as you are at singles?"

"I guess it depends on my partner."

"So do you and Ryoma make a good team?"

"We beat the co-captain of the regulars if that tells you anything."

"But have you beat the captain?"

"No, we haven't had a chance to play him yet."

"Enough talk about tennis, let's just hang out until our match."

They sat on the benches and cleared their minds, waiting eagerly until their match. Finally, it was time for the third match.

"Good luck you two, we'll go easy on ya."

"Good luck to you too, Sayomi. Not that you'd need it."

They all headed out and took their positions on the court.

"Remember, go easy on them."

"I know, I know."

Captivated by Ryoma, Leah was hit in the face by his serve.

"Ryoma!"

"Hey, wasn't my fault."

"Leah, pay attention!"

"Oh, shut up, Tiffany!"

Feeling generous, Ryoma and Sayomi decided to let them score a few points. Eventually, Sayomi decided to display her acrobatic abilities to the crowd.

"Did she get better?!"

"I think so!"

By the end of the doubles portion, Ryoma and Sayomi were declared the ultimate winners. It was also announced that Sayomi had won the singles portion. Soon, the editor for Junior Tennis Monthly had found her.

"Ah, Sayomi! Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

"If it's alright with you, I'd just like to reschedule your interviewn until tomorrow. It's gotten pretty late."

"No, no, that's perfectly alright."

"Sayomi-chan, why don't we all go have a party to celebrate your victory?"

"Sure."

"What's a good place to have fun in this town?"

"Leah, Tiffany, know any fun places we can go to celebrate?"

"Well there's that kids club down the street. We could go there."

"Momo-senpai, do you want to go to the kids club?"

"Yeah! Let's go party!"

"Show us the way, Leah and Tiffany!"

Leah and Tiffany excitedly skipped toward the club.

"This is gonna be way more fun than the scool dance! This time we don't have to be waiters!"

"Yes, I'm sure we'll all have fun tonight."

"This night will be all about Sayomi! Let's make sure this is the best night of her life!"

"Aww, you don't have to do that! I'm already having fun just being with my friends!

"Does that mean us?"

"Uh...sure."

"So Sayomi, are you gonna dance with us or just sit around at the table again?"

"I'm not much of a dancer..."

"Aww, please come dance with us?"

"Yeah, please?"

"Please?"

"I don't really want to..."

"But Sayomi, I never got to dance with you!"

"If I dance, will you stop asking?"

"Yes!"

"Fine, I'll dance."

"Yay!"

Excited to see Sayomi, everyone at the club happily welcomed them.

"Now aren't you guys glad we're friends with Sayomi?"

"...Most of us barely know her. We're only here because you bribed us-"

"Oishi! Be quiet!"

"Sayomi-chan, will you come dance with us now?"

"Well, I did promise..."

"So you're coming to dance now!"

Seeing Eiji and Momo drag Sayomi out to dance, Kome, Leah and Tiffany went out to dance too.

"Aren't you having fun, Sayomi?"

"When you two are around, everything's fun."

"So are you saying we could be washing dog livers and still be having fun?"

"Uh...yes?"

"Ew..."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Well stop talking and dance with us!"

Eiji and Momo took turns dancing with Sayomi until she finally pulled away and went back to the table.

"You're a pushover, you know that, Sayomi?"

"Yeah, you've been dancing with us for the past ten minutes, and you never even wanted to dance in the first place!"

"I'm not a pushover..."

"Yes you are!

"Uh...guys..."

"What?"

"Half of us still need a place to stay."

"Aww, you could have at least said that after we were done having fun."

When the group decided to head home for the night, Oishi brought up the topic again.

"We only got two rooms at the hotel, with only two beds each. Half of us need a place to stay."

"But which half? And where's the other half going to stay?"

"That's what we need to figure out."

"Sayomi-chan, can I stay at your house?!"

"But Eiji-senpai, there isn't any room at my house."

"I'll sleep on the floor!"

"Okay..."

"That leaves three of us."

"The hot one with the glasses can stay at my house!"

"That's very generous of you-"

"No, the other hot one!"

Inui cleared his throat in embaressment.

"...But you can stay at my house too!"

"So that leaves one more."

"That smiley one can stay at my house, he seems nice."

"Alright, so Kaido, Kawamura, Momo and I will stay at the hotel."

"Can I stay with Taka-san?"

"Sure. Then Kaido will be in my room."

At Sayomi's house, she showed Eiji to her room and set down a pillow and a blanket on the floor.

"I don't exactly have another bed that you could sleep on, unless you want to sleep on the couch..."

"No, no, I'm fine in your room!"

Eiji settled himself into his makeshift bed.

"Wow. You really are like a cat!"

"I'm like you're own little kitty, except I can take care of myself!"

She giggled and settled into her own bed.

"Good night, Eiji-senpai."

"Y'know, it's nice to have my own room. Er...it's nice to share a room with only one person."

Over at Leah's house, she was showing Inui and Tezuka where they would be staying.

"Okay, hotties. You guys are going to stay in Tiffany's and Sayomi's rooms."

"Thank you for your generosity."

"You speak English?"

They nodded and headed into their rooms.

At Tiffany's house, she happily showed Fuji to his room.

"Okay, smiley, this is Sayomi's room. It's where you'll be staying."

She acted out her words, as she didn't think Fuji spoke English.

"Thank you, you're very kind."

"Do you speak English?"

"Um...thank you, you're very kind."

"Guess that's the only thing he says..."

"Thank you, you're very kind?"

"Have a good sleep, smiley."

"Thank you, you're very kind!"

Meanwhile, at the hotel, Momo lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, Taka-san, are you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"I'm kinda sad..."

"Why's that?"

"Well, Sayomi-chan's friends didn't seem all that excited about us."

"Why does that make you sad?"

"Because it makes me feel like they don't like me..."

"Don't be silly, Momo-chan! Everyone likes you!"

"Sayomi-chan's friends don't...they didn't even notice me..."

"Momo-chan, you're exaggerating."

"No I'm not!"

"Don't be like that, Momo-chan."

"Taka-san, you're supposed to be making me feel better!"

"Just go to bed. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning."

"Oh fine."


	35. The Morning After the Tournament

The next morning, Sayomi awoke to a curious Eiji watching her sleep.

"Ah! I'm starting to regret letting you sleep in my room."

"Don't be like that Sayomi-chan! I haven't been watching you for long!"

"How long have you been awake? And what time is it?"

"Since around 7:30. And it's almost 8."

"If you were watching me this whole time, I'm kicking you outta my room."

"No, no, I've only been watching you for about five minutes."

"Well get out."

"Why?"

"I have to get dressed!"

"I have to get dressed too y'know..."

"Well take your stuff and get dressed in the bathroom."

"Oh fine. I'm using your shower then."

"Go right ahead."

Eiji picked up his clothes and left Sayomi to get dressed. She chose a comfortable outfit to wear for that day and went to wake Kome up.

"Kome, it's 8, wake up."

"It's too early!"

"We've got stuff to do today!"

"Like what?"

"Uh...I don't know yet, but we have stuff to do today! So get up!"

"Alright, I'll just go shower and get dressed then."

"Actually, Eiji-senpai's in the shower, then I'm gonna go."

"Well, I'll just wait then. In the meantime, you can help me pick out an outfit for today!"

"Sure!"

The two went through Kome's suitcase until Eiji came in.

"I'm done."

"Alright, be back soon."

"Where are you going?"

"To shower!"

"Eiji-kun, will you give me your opinion on my outfits?"

"Actually, I'm getting kind of hungry."

"I'm sure Sayomi won't mind if you raid her fridge."

"I'm going to ask her, just in case."

He knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sayomi-chan, can I raid your fridge for breakfast?"

"Go ahead. But we haven't bought groceries yet, so there's probably nothing in there."

"Want me to go buy some groceries and make breakfast?"

"If you want to."  
"I'm gonna go then, expect breakfast when you're done!"  
"I'm already almost done!"

"Then expect breakfast when I'm done!"

"Done what?!"  
"Buying stuff!"

A few minutes later, Sayomi stepped out into the hallway, hair dripping onto the floor.

"Find an outfit yet, Kome?"

"Yep! What are we doing today?"  
"I guess we could...I honestly don't know right now. But Eiji should be getting back soon to make breakfast. I hope he's doing okay..."

She pulled out her cellphone and called him.

"Need something?"

"Eiji-senpai-"  
"No, no senpai this week. I have a rule: when not in school, no senpai. Spring break is all about fun, not school. So this week, the regulars are just your friends, not your senpai."

"Okay, well Eiji-kun, did you find everything okay? I mean, you can't speak English, so-"  
"It's okay, I went over to the hotel and got Oishi."

"But didn't Oishi-senpai-"  
"No senpai!"  
"Didn't Oishi-kun say he barely passed his English exam?"

"Yeah, but he said it was all nerves. He had no trouble in the supermarket."

"Okay, well when you get back, I'll be over at Leah's house. It's just to the right of mine. And could you get Oishi-kun to tell the others at the hotel to come too?"

"No problem. See you there!"

She put her phone back in her pocket and got Kome and Ryoma.

"We're going over to Leah's house, okay?"  
"Okay."

She called Tiffany on her way out the door.

"Tiffany, we're going to Leah's house. Bring Fuji with you."

"Who?  
"The smiley guy who's staying at your house."

"Oh, okay. We'll meet you there!"

Soon, they had all gathered at Leah's house.

"So did you guys have a good sleep last night?"

"Yes, but I had the strangest feeling that someone was watching me."

"Leah..."

"Okay, maybe for a little..."

"Leah!"

"I won't do it again, I swear."

"Leah, give me your camera."

"I din't take any pictures, I swear!"  
"Let me see your camera and your phone."

"Oh fine."

She handed Sayomi her phone and camera. She went through the pictures and didn't find a single one of Tezuka.

"See, I told you I didn't! Would I lie to you?"  
"Yes. So how about you Inui-kun, did you have a good sleep?"

"I slept quite well, thank you."

"Did you sleep well too, Fuji-senpai?"  
"No senpai this week, Sayomi-chan!"

"Did you have a good sleep too, Fuji-kun?"

"I had a wonderful sleep. Your friend was very nice to me. Although I wasn't quite sure of what she said. Or her name for that matter."

"Her name's Tiffany."  
"What about me?"  
"I told him that your name is Tiffany."

"Oh, okay. As long as you didn't say anything bad about me."

"Sayomi, Sayomi!"  
"What is it, Leah?"  
"Can we play tennis with your hot friends today?!"

"Uh...I guess so. Oh, but I have to go do that interview for Junior Tennis Monthly. You guys wanna come with me?"

"Sure!"

She turned to the regulars.

"Are you guys coming to my interview with me?"  
"Interview? You have an interview?"

"Don't forget about her status here." Eiji said proudly.

"I guess we'll come. Speaking for the other regulars who never too English, we're pretty useless here."

"Yep!"  
"It's true."

"Very useless!"

The regulars who didnt take english chimed in happily.

"So basically, yes, we're coming with you."

"What time are we supposed to go?"

"I'm not sure, she never said. I'll go check when their office opens."

She got her laptop from her room and opened up the website.

"Let's see...office hours...they open at 8:00 AM, so we could go now."

"Sayomi, when are we going for the interview?"

"If you guys want to, then now."

"Totally! Let's go then!"  
"Yeah! And after that, we can go play tennis with your hot friends!"

"They're not my friends, they're Ryoma's."  
"Actually, they're more of teammates."

"Anyway, we'll go to your interview and then to Shihobu Courts."  
"You guys brought your tennis stuff, right?"

"Of course!"

"Well bring your stuff and after the interview we're going to play tennis."

"Sounds good to us!"


	36. Sayomi's Interview

They all gathered up their things and headed over to the magazine office.

"Ah, Sayomi! I see you've brought all your friends."

"Yeah...they sorta showed up yesterday."

"Well come in, have a seat. I have to get a few things ready, I'll be there shortly."

They all sat down. Unfortunately, there weren't enough chairs for everyone, so a few of the regulars sat on the floor. Leah happily gave up her chair to Tezuka, sitting on the floor beside Eiji. Soon, Candace returned.

"I'm sorry there weren't enough chairs for everybody. I wasn't expecting so many people."

"It's okay, we don't mind sitting on the floor."

Candace took out her notepad where she'd written down her interview questions.

"Okay, so like I told you a couple days ago, I'm Candace Walker, the photogropher and editor for Junior Tennis Monthly."

"And as we all know, that's Sayomi Shihobu, Canadian tennis legend."  
"Leah, shut up! This is Sayomi's interview, not ours."

"Well anyway, I think the question on everybody's mind is: why did you leave so suddenly?"

"Well, I'd heard about this amazing tennis school, so I got myself registered there since that March. Then, when the tournament came around, I had all my bags packed and left for Japan."

"Well we're all glad that you're back."  
"Actually, I'm only here for spring break."

"Well even if it's only for a week, we're all glad you're back. And I'm glad to see that you've made plenty of friends at your new school."

"These guys I just recently met. But I met Kome when I first got to my new school."

"So guys, how did you meet Sayomi?"

The regulars each conveyed their thoughts to Tezuka.

"Essentially, we all met her though Ryoma."

"And how did you meet Sayomi, Ryoma?"

"Tennis match."

"Now Sayomi, if you don't mind me asking, are any of these guys your boyfriend?"

"What? No, no, no! I barely know most of them."

"Do you have a boyfriend back in Japan?"  
"Oh, no, no."

"Well, going back to the questions I planned: what school _are _you going to right now?"

"It's called Seishun Academy, Seigaku for short."  
"Are you liking Seigaku?"

"Yes! I love Seigaku!"

"That's good to hear. Have you been in any tournaments yet?"

"Not yet."

Eiji shouted to Tezuka, who calmly relayed Eiji's thought.

"Eiji's is mad that Sayomi is not on the tennis team of Seigaku."

"Sayomi, you didn't join your school's tennis team? Why?"  
"I didn't want to be the center of attention."

"Well that's too bad. I'm sure you could've led your school to the nationals."  
"I know she could've."  
"What was that, Ryoma?"  
"I said I know you could."

"So Sayomi, did you enjoy the tournament yesterday?"  
"It was a lot of fun!"  
"Being a televised event, your fame here just got a huge boost. How are you feeling about that?"

"Well, before the tournament, when people recognized me, I was pretty overwhelmed. A fame boost is _not _what I need right now."

"Think of it this way: you'll only have to put up with it for a week."  
"Miss Walker, I know you're interviewing me, but could I ask _you _one question?"

"Uh...sure. And please, call me Candace."

"Candace, could you tell me how everyone reacted when I left?"

"To be honest, most people suspected that you were hiding from your newfound fame until it died down a little. Days, weeks, and even months went by before anyone had a clue."

Leah and Tiffany jumped into the conversation.

"We knew!"

"But Sayomi told us not to tell anyone because she didn't want to cause a fuss over her."

"And besides, it was kinda funny watching everyone wonder where Sayomi was..."  
"Why she wasn't at school..."

"Why no one could get a hold of her..."  
"All that stuff."

"But what did you guys tell them when they asked about me?"

"We just told them that you didn't want a bunch of people coming after you and going crazy."

"You know me so well. That's exactly right!"  
"Is that part of the reason you left?"

"I guess so. I was kind of afraid that people wouldn't treat me the same."

"But Sayomi, can you imagine how popular you'd have been?!"  
"And how popular _we'd _have been together?!"

Sayomi turned her head toward them, signalling them to be quiet.

"They're right though, Sayomi. I'm sure you'd have been quite popular after your win."

"But the question is: would they want to be friends with me, or the best junior female player in North America?"  
"That's true. But anyway, back to the interview. If you hadn't registered at Seigaku, would you have still participated in the tournament and dealt with the fame?"

"I would've still done the tournament in a heartbeat. I love tennis! As for the fame, it would've just been a part of my win."

"You're obviously a pretty modest person. Why didn't you soak up the glory like anyone else would?"

"Isn't it obvious? She isn't like everyone else."

"More than ordinary."  
"Extraordinary!" Leah and Tiffany said together.

They smiled and clapped for Sayomi.

"So Sayomi, tell the readers what you've been up to in Japan?"

"Pretty much the same things I did here: hang out with friends, and play tennis."

"That should about do it for the interview. Thanks for your time, Sayomi."  
"No problem."

Candace shook Sayomi's hand and showed her out.


	37. Serve Competition

"Sayomi-chan, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Momo pulled her to the side.

"Your friends don't like me much, do they?"

"What would make you say that, Momo-senpai?"

"Because they weren't that excited when they saw _me _yesterday. And by the way, don't call us senpai this week."

"Of course they like you, Momo-chan!"

They joined the group again.

"Leah, Tiffany, Momo-chan is being silly and thinks you don't like him."

"What?!"

Leah ran up to Momo and tackled him to the ground.

"Leah!"

Sayomi and Tiffany pulled Leah off of Momo, the other regulars checking if he was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"See Momo-chan? I told you they like you. Especially Leah apparently..."

"Well that makes me feel a lot better!"

"Anyway, do you guys want to go play tennis now?"

"Mother hell yes!"

"Let's go then!"

The group happily headed over to Shihobu Courts, people staring in awe.

"I like this, Sayomi-chan! Lots of people are paying attention to us!"

"You just love attention, don't you, Eiji-kun?"

"Yes, I do."

The regulars caught a glimpse of Shihobu Courts and dropped their bags.

"Woah."  
"That place is huge!"

"Sayomi-chan, you never told us it was this big!"

"Let's just go inside."

"Anybody want to play a mimi-tournament between us?"

"I know I do!"

They went inside.

"Hey, Sandra!"  
"Leah, Tiffany, Sayomi...other people."

"These are the regulars."  
"Hi! Oh, and if you want an open court, the third one outside is free."

"Thanks, Sandra!"

Sayomi repeated where they were going to the regulars, who followed Leah and Tiffany outside.

"Let's have a contest!"  
"What kind?"

"Your fastest overhand serve, no holding back!"

"Whoever doesn't want to participate, speak now."  
"Leah, Tiffany."  
"What?"  
"Want to be in our serve competition?"  
"Sure."  
"But against the regulars, you don't stand a chance."  
"Ryoma!"

"So Sayomi, are they in or what?"

"They're going to try too."  
"Let's go inside and see if they have a radar gun or something to see how fast our serves are!"

Eiji ran inside, dragging Sayomi behind him to translate.

"Do you guys have a radar gun?!"  
"Excuse me?"

"Sayomi, translate."

"He wants to know if you have a radar gun we could borrow. We need to see how fast our serves are."

"Oh, yeah. Lots of people ask, so we've got plently lyring around. Here."

Sandra pulled a radar gun from behind the desk and handed it to Sayomi.

"Thank you!"

Eiji ran back outside, Sayomi walking behind him.

"Who's using it?"

Tezuka took it from her hands and stood at the side of the court.

"I want to go first!"

Eiji took a ball and hit his best overhand serve.

"How fast was that, Tezuka?"

"152 kilometers."

"Beautiful! Who's next? Sayomi?"

"No, I'll go last. Leah, Tiffany, do one of you want to go?"

"I will!"  
"Go for it, Tiffany!"

She nervously took the ball and served it to the best of her abilty.

"139."  
"Is that good?"  
"Not good enough."  
"Ryoma!"

"I'll go next. And I'll beat you, Tiffany!"  
"No way, Leah!"

She excitedly served as best she could.

"Tell me it's faster than 139, tell me it's faster!"

"138."  
"Damnit!"

"Why don't you go next, Oishi?"

"Alright."

He took a ball and served it as quickly as he could.

"157."

"Awesome! Who's next?"

"Let me try."

Inui took the ball and did some math in his notebook.

"I've calculated the angle, trajectory, and velocity of the perfect serve."

"Jeez, Inui, math? Way to suck the fun out of our vacation!"

Inui served the ball using his calculations.

"194."

"Okay, so maybe your fun sucking was worth it."

"Let me try!"

"Go for it, Momo-chan!"

He shot the ball past Tezuka.

"151."

"Great! Let's see you beat that, Kaido!"

"Damn right I will."

He calmly served, the ball flying past the other regulars.

"151."  
"Damn..."

"Let me have a go. Hand me my racket."

Momo picked it up, his hand shaking.

"You do it, Ryoma, I'm scared."

"Wimp."

He took the racket from Momo's hands and gave it to Kawamura.

"BURNING!"

"Ha ha, that's kinda like how Sayomi changes when she's on the court!"

The ball shot past the regulars.

"176."

"Well done, Taka-san!"

"I'll go next."

Fuji served the ball, a smile on his face.

"Does he like...always smile?"  
"Pretty much."

"Does he ever stop smiling?"  
"I haven't seen him not smiling."

"How fast was that, Tezuka?"

"180."  
"Ah, very good."  
"Ryoma, you and Sayomi are the only ones left now. And Sayomi wants to go last. So go."

"...Nah."

"Okay, Sayomi. It's your turn."  
"Alright..."  
"And remember, don't hold back!"  
"I don't think you want me to do that..."

"Don't hold back, Sayomi. Let's see if the buzz around here is worth it."

"Alright..."

She served the ball, letting out a loud grunt. Tezuka looked at the radar gun and nearly dropped it.

"What?"

Eiji also took a look at the radar gun.

"Holy crap!"  
"What?"

"That was..."  
"Awesome!"

"But how fast was it?"  
"Well it beat Inui's 'perfect' serve, I can tell you that..."

"But how fast was it?"

"201!"

"Oops..."  
"What do you mean 'oops'?"  
"Wait a second...You were holding back, weren't you?!"

"Yeah..."

"If you hit 200 holding back...I'm afraid to see what you could do _not _holding back!"

"Wait a minute...aren't you left-handed?"  
"What?!"  
"You hit 200 holding back with your non-dominant hand?!"

Leah and Tiffany stepped in to see what all the yelling was about.

"Okay, just _what _is everyone screaming about?!"

"How fast my serve was."  
"Well how fast was it?"  
"201."

"Well, it beats our crappy serves."

"Everyone's did."  
"Ryoma! Just _once _could you hold back on the snarky remarks?"

"Well it's clear to see that you won, Sayomi."  
"But what's the prize?"

"Yeah, you always play for a prize."

She turned to Eiji, who had suggested the contest in the first place.

"What's the prize, Eiji-senpai?"  
"We're your friends this week, not your senpai!"

"Eiji-kun, is there a prize?"

"Uh...your prize can be...I'll treat you to dinner!"

"But you don't know your way around this town. You don't know where any places are."

"In that case, your friends will treat you to dinner. Leah and Tiffany, was it?"

He pointed to them, who had confused looks on their faces.

"Well I don't know who this 'Reah' is, but Leah would be happy to do whatever you're asking."

"Give them a break. They kinda can't say l's and r's properly. They tend to switch them around."

"Oh. Okay. So what about us?"  
"You're treating me to dinner."

She laughed.

"Well why don't I just treat everyone?"

"That'd be nice."

"So it's settled then!"  
"Where are we going for dinner?"

"Well since these guys are Japanese..."  
"Karaoke bar!"

"Karaoke?"  
"I love karaoke!"  
"Momo-chan, you love everything."

"That's not true. I hate english."

"What do you have against english?"  
"It's too hard."

"It's not hard!"  
"Maybe for you."  
"I'm telling you, english isn't hard!"

"Then you teach me!"

Sayomi blinked, not knowing how to respond.

"You're teaching me!"  
"And while you're at it, why don't you teach the rest of us who didn't take english?"

"Uh...okay..."


	38. Karaoke

Later that night, Leah, Inui and Tezuka showed up at Sayomi's door, ready to go.

"Now we just have to go get Tiffany."  
"And the other regulars."

"Yep."

"Just give me a sec to get everyone."

She turned around to see Eiji, Kome and Ryoma standing behind her.

"Or not."

"Let's go!"

They headed over to Tiffany's house. She and Fuji had already gotten ready and were about to go to Leah's house.

"Oh, you're here! Convinient!"

"Ah, Sayomi! Your friend has been very hospitable."

"Good to hear."

"Okay, now let's go to the hotel."  
"Why?"  
"To get the other regulars!"

"Oh right."  
"Eiji-kun, could you give Oishi-kun a call and ask him what rooms they're in?"  
"Got'cha."

He took out his cellphone, dialing Oishi's number.

"I love speed dial!"

"You have Oishi-kun on speed dial?"

"Number one, of couse!"

"Hey, Eiji! What's up?"  
"What room are you guys in?"  
"959 and 960."

"Thanks! Now we know what room to ask for."

"No problem. We're going to dinner now, right?"

"Yep!"

Both hung up the phone.

"So, what rooms?"  
"959 and 960."

"Let's go get them then."

As they arrived in the lobby, the four remaining regulars were there waiting.

"Hello!"  
"Hi, Momo-chan."

"Aren't _we_...enthusiastic..."

"Don't make fun of Momo, Tiffany."

"Hey, I have nothing against that guy. I'm just saying he's _a bit_...enthusiastic."

"He's excited. Momo's a people person."

"So where are we going?"  
"Karaoke."

"Awesome!"

"Momo-chan, are you planning to sing?"  
"Yes. Are you?"

"No."

"Aww, you're no fun."

The went outside to see a taxi waiting for them.

"I took the liberty of calling a cab."

"Thanks,Tezuka-kun. That was nice of you."

"Are you implying that I don't do nice things often?"

"Well you do only let the freshmen pick up balls..."

"It's a test of your commitment."  
"How?"

"If you continue to pick up balls for the entire year, it will prove that you're commited to the tennis club and that you really want to play for Seigaku's team."

"That...makes sense...I guess..."

Tezuka nodded, signifying that the conversation was over. Soon, they were at the karaoke bar.

"Eveyone, they're here?"  
"What do they mean by that?"  
"Well, I may have called and asked for a private room."  
"How'd you afford that?"  
"When I told them it was for you, they told me it was free of charge."

"Wow. So much special treatment really makes a girl feel...um...special."

"This way to your private room, Sayomi."

"Um...thank you."'

They were lead to their room, complete with a large stage and a spotlight. Leah was the first to enthusiastically get on stage.

"So what are you going to sing?"

Leah and Tiffany looked at each other.

"Disturbia!"

Tiffany hopped onto the stage to provide backup vocals.

After they finished, they took a bow and went back to sitting with Sayomi.

"How were we?"  
"Great!"

"Are you planning to sing, Sayomi?"

"Of course not!"

She turned to the regulars.

"Are you going to sing?"  
"We can't sing any of those english songs!"

The noticed Kaido, who had been listening to his iPod the whole time.

"...What?"

"That karaoke machine is basically just a computer, right?"

"I guess."  
"So would it be possible to plug Kaido's iPod into it?"

"...I don't know."

Inui pulled out a toolbox and began tampering with the karaoke machine. Eventually, he was able to find a USB port and plug Kaido's iPod into it.

"I wanna go first!"

Eiji went though Kaido's iPod, looking for a song he liked.

"Kaido...you listen to Gackt?"

"Give me that!"

He snatched his iPod back and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Aww, now what're we supposed to sing?"

"Anybody else got their iPod with them?"

"We were going to dinner, I didn't want to be rude!"

"Speaking of which, we haven't actually eaten anything yet."

"Tell your friends that, please."

She turned back to Leah.

"Hey, Leah...when are we actually going to eat?"

"What do you mean?"  
"Well usually when you treat someone to dinner, you buy them dinner."  
"Shut up Tiffany!"

The two looked at each other.

"Sushi?"  
"Sushi."  
"Sushi?!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Not you too!"

She glanced over at the regulars who had joined into Leah and Tiffany's word game.

"What? It's fun!"

"So are we going now?"

"Leah, are we going to go now?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Leah and Tiffany left, the others following.

"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Su-"  
"Will you guys stop it?!"

Eiji and Momo smiled at each other mischievously.

"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"  
"Sushi!"

"Are you two now _intenionally _provoking Sayomi?"  
"Maybe..."

"Well stop it. She's getting annoyed."  
"Sorry, Tezuka."

Eiji rolled his eyes at Tezuka.

"Eiji-kun, aren't you intimidated _at all_ by Tezuka-kun?"

"Pfft, I'm not scared of Tezuka."  
"You should be. 100 laps next time we're at the tennis courts."

"Yes sir." he said sarcastically.

"Guys, please stop fighting!"

"I'm sorry, Sayomi-sama."  
"For the last time, would you quit calling me that?!"

"Sorry."


	39. Dinner at the Sushi Bar

Leah and TIffany stopped in front of a small sushi resturant downtown.

"Here we are!"

"I wonder if anybody in there will speak Japanese..."

"Let's eat, I'm starving!"

Tezuka and Oishi held open the doors for everyone.

"Thank you, hot one sleeping at my house and other hot one!"  
"They have names y'know."

"And those names would be..."

"Tezuka and Oishi...I think."

"What about us?"

"Don't worry about it, Oishi-kun."

They sat down and picked up the menus, browsing through the different types of sushi. The waiter came to them and asked what the wanted with a thick Japanese accent.

"Do you speak Japanese?"  
"Yes, and it's much better than my English. What can I get for you?"

The group argued over which type of sushi to get until Tezuka silenced them.

"Anything's fine."

He went back to the kitchen and soon brought back a platter of sashimi.

"Ooh, sashimi! Do you like sashimi too, Sayomi-chan?"

"I love sashimi!"

She tried to take a piece from the platter in the middle of the table, but couldn't reach because she was at the end of the table. Eiji noticed her struggling and fed her a piece.

"That wasn't really necessary..."

"But it was yummy, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Want another?"

"Not if you're going to feed me it again..."

"Aww, you don't like me?"  
"It's embarassing!"

"Why didn't you just move the plate closer to her like a normal person would?"

"Maybe I didn't wanna move the plate..."

"I'd rather you move the plate closer..."  
"Sayomi-chan, don't you like me?"

"I do like you, but it's embarassing..."

"Wow Eiji, you really come on strong when you like someone."  
"I don't like Sayomi-chan that way! She's my special little friend, that's all."

He smiled and gave her another piece.

"Eiji-kun, stop..."

"You're still a pushover."  
"No I'm not..."

He moved the sashimi closer to her mouth as she reluctantly let him feed her.

"Okay, Eiji. Now you're just being weird."

"I'm proving a point."

"And that point would be..."

"That Sayomi-chan is a pushover!"

"Leah, Tiffany, you don't think I'm a pushover, do you?"

"Oh yeah."  
"Major pushover!"

"Oh..."  
"But that's not really a bad thing!"

"Kome..."  
"Sayomi, as your friend, I'm going to tell you the truth. You're a pushover."

"You don't always make things better."

Kome pulled the plate closer to Sayomi.

"There. Now Eiji-kun can stop being weird."

"Fine then, I'll ask this time."  
"No..."  
"Please?"  
"No..."

"Fine then, you're not getting this piece. And I just _know _how much you love sashimi..."

"Stop it...you're being mean..."

He opened his mouth and lowered the sashimi in.

"Gimme that!"

She snatched it from his hand and ate it.

"Eiji comes on strong, and Sayomi is greedy..."

"No, she just likes sashimi."

Eiji pushed the plate in front of her.

"Here,you can have the rest."  
"Don't forget about us!"  
"Yeah, we need to eat too!"  
"I can't finish all of that anyway."

After dinner, the group went back to Tiffany's house.

"That was fun! We should go out to dinner more often."

"It was mostly fun because of Sayomi's boyfriend feeding her."  
"Eiji is not my boyfriend!"

"So are you saying you let random guys feed you?"

"No, she's a pushover."

"Hey Sayomi-chan, do you know what time it is?"

"It's almost 10."  
"Wow, it's late."

"We should have a party!"

"Tiffany, do you want to have a party tonight?"

"Yeah! A slumber party!"

"I'll get the popcorn, you get the movies."

"Don't forget subtitles!"

Leah ran to the kitchen to make popcorn while Tiffany looked through her DVD cabinet.

"Disney?"  
"Disney!"

"Bambi?!"  
"Bambi!"

"Do they do that a lot, Sayomi-chan?"  
"Yes."

Leah come back from the kitchen with the popcorn.

"What are you waiting for, put the stupid DVD on already!"

Almost everyone sat on the floor, with the exception of Ryoma and Sayomi, who chose to sit on the couch.

"Someone, shut off the lights!"

"I will."

Tiffany got up and shut off the lights.

"Thank you!"  
"You're welcome!"

Knowing that the lights were off and no one was looking at them, Ryoma decided to put his arm around Sayomi, pulling her in close.

"Don't you just love the dark?" he whispered.

"Shh, if you talk, they'll just turn around and tell you to be quiet. And see us."

"So I won't talk."  
"But knowing Leah and Tiffany, they'll turn around anyway."

"Fine, fine. Go back over there then. Don't be suspicious."

"You saying 'don't be suspicious' just makes it all the more suspicious."

"Go back where you were."

She moved back to the other side of the couch where she was before.

"Popcorn?"

Leah put the bowl between them.

"Thanks."

They reached for the popcorn at the same time, their hands meeting in the bowl. Sayomi pulled her hand away quickly.

"What's the matter, embaressed?"

"No big deal..."

She slowly reached for the popcorn again, this time checking to make sure Ryoma wan't reaching for it as well.

"Why so cautious?"

"No reason..."

"Here, have it."

Ryoma pushed the bowl toward her.

"Sayomi, hand over the popcorn!"  
"One bowl won't last very long between the thirteen of us."

"True. I'm gonna go make another bowl."

"Do you want us to pause the movie?"

"Please and thank you!"


	40. The Guilt of What Was Not Planned

Tiffany paused the movie and turned to the regulars.

"Enjoying the movie?"

They looked at Tezuka, who they hoped would translate. Tezuka in turn looked at Sayomi, who gave in and translated.

"I thought it was funny when the deer couldn't get up!"

"Did someone give Eiji-kun sugar?"

"I didn't have any sugar, I'm just excited to be in Canada with you and your friends!"

"I don't. I feel guilty! No one invited us, after all."

"I never said we weren't invited to come! I only said she never asked us directly."

"And wouldn't that mean we weren't invited?"

"It was implied..."

"Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about? I didn't imply anything!"

"After I asked what I was supposed to do for the rest of spring break, you implied you wanted me to come to Canada!"  
"What did she say?"

"I don't remember exactly what she said, but she implied she wanted me to come to Canada!"

"Um...actually, I think I said you should hang out with your classmates..."

"You did?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"Oh...I'm sorry...does that mean you didn't want us here?"

"No, no, it's not that! It's just...I didn't plan on it, that's all."

"Okay, as long as you're okay with us being here. I mean, just say the word and we can leave."

"Leah, is the popcorn done yet?!"

She ran to the kitchen to avoid the subject.

"Well...it's almost done."

"Good, good. You go back in the living room. I'll bring the popcorn when it's done."  
"Okay."

Leah returned to the living room and sat beside Tiffany, who she prompted to unpause the movie. Eiji entered he kitchen and sat at the table.

"Sayomi-chan, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine..."

She was avoiding his gaze.

"Sayomi-chan, why won't you look at me? This is just like that time at the cafe! What's on your mind this time?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Did I say something bad?"

"Nothing's wrong!"

"Is this about the regulars coming to Canada without a proper invitation?"

"No, I'm okay with you guys being here."

"Are you sure? You seem like you're pushing me away."

"The popcorn's done!"

When she brought the popcorn into the living room, the moive was already playing.

"We unpaused it without you, I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. Here's the popcorn."

She put the bowl on the floor.

"Sayomi-chan, come back here!"

She sat back down on the couch, pretending not to hear Eiji's call.

"Sayomi!" he hissed.

Once again, Sayomi ignored his frantic hand gestures. Soon, Eiji came running into the living room, picking Sayomi up and draping her over his shoulder.

"Kikumaru, what are you doing?!"

"You...you called me by my last name..."

"So?"  
"You normally call me by my first name. Why are you suddenly calling me by my last name?"

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake."

"Anyway, there was a reason I brought you back into the kitchen. What was that reason again?..."

He thought for a moment, trying to remember why he carried Sayomi back to the kitchen.

"Right, right, I remember now! How come you keep pushing me away like nothing's wrong?"  
"Because nothing's wrong..."  
"Sayomi, I can tell you're lying to me. I can see it in your eyes, you're lying. What'd I say to make you so angry?"

"Well...when you offered to leave, it made me feel a little bit guilty..."

"Wow. You caved fast. You really are a pushover!"

Just then, Fuji entered the kitchen looking a bit annoyed.

"Eiji, you're getting a bit loud in here. What are you yelling about?"

"In short, I made Sayomi feel guilty and just now I said she was a pushover."

"Ah, so I see."

"I'm not a pushover though..."  
"I'm going to have to agree with Eiji on that one. You're a pushover."

"Am not..."

"Yes you are! One of these days, something bad's gonna happen if you're not careful!"

"That doesn't prove anything! Something bad could happen to anyone who's not careful."

"I'll prove that you're a pushover, just wait."

Fuji whispered a few things to Eiji.

"When, now?" Eiji whispered back.

Fuji nodded.

"What are you two whispering about?"  
"Nothin'..."

"Okay...let's just go back and watch the movie."

Sayomi and Fuji returned to the living room and sat back down. Eiji however, seemed to have disappeared. Without warning, the power shut off.

"Woah!"  
"What the hell?!"

Inui pulled out a lighter and all eyes turned to Eiji, who seemed restless and out of breath.

"It wasn't me, I swear!"

"Wait...Inui, why do you have a lighter?"  
"Purely for scientific purposes."  
"Like what? Seeing how fast certain things burn?"  
"Precisely."

"I swear though, it wasn't my fault!"

"No one's blaming you, Eiji."  
"Then why are you all looking at me like that?!"

"Maybe a ghost shut off the power!"

Leah and TIffany looked at each other in fear.

"Hear that, Kaido-senpai? Maybe a _ghost_ shut off the power."

"Ever heard the saying 'respect your elders'?"

"While you guys fight, I'm gonna go check out the problem. First I need to go get a flashlight, I think there's one in my room."


	41. Fuji's Plan

**A/N: BWA HA HA! I decided to modify this scene a little. It got a bit more...graphic. VIEWER...ERM...READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Don't worry, there's not lemon. Because that would be bad. And on another note, I also made the decision to make everyone first, second and third years in high school, rather than middle school. SO DON'T WORRY, THERE'S NO UNDERAGE...I'm gonna stop there. Anyway, enjoy the new, modified chapter 41! (Which is now not so facking long!)  
**

**--**

She felt her way into her room. As she was feeling around for a flashlight, the door suddenly slammed shut.

"Who's there?!"

"Eiji's right you know, Sayomi. Something bad could happen to you if you're not careful. Someone might just come along..."

She felt a strong grip wrap tightly around her.

"...And snatch you right up."  
"Fuji-kun?"

"Well done, you've guessed correctly. Your prize? Why, me of course."

He loosened his grip and draped himself over her shoulders.

"Fuji-kun, what are you doing?"

"Like Eiji said, bad things can happen to a pushover..."

"You're freaking me out a little now..."

"Is that so? Then maybe I should..."

He tightened his grip again.

"...Amp it up a bit."

"You're not making much sense..."

"I don't have to make sense. Not if I'm going to..."

He suddenly released his grip and scooped her into his arms.

"...Sweep you off your feet."

"You're freaking me out a lot now..."

"My, my, Sayomi. You're as light as a feather!"

"Fuji-kun, you're really freaking me out..."

"Freaked out? Then why don't we have a seat on the bed?"

He tossed her onto the bed, Sayomi letting out a scream as she fell.

"Scream as you will, Sayomi. The others aren't going to hear you."

He threw his shirt on the floor and knelt above her.

"There goes my shirt, now how about yours?"

"Fuji-kun, please don't..."

Fuji ran a few fingers through Sayomi's hair.

"My, such silky hair you have. What _do_ you do to keep it so nice?"

"What the hell is this?!"

She swatted his hands away from her hair.

"This, Sayomi, is proof."

"Proof of what?"

"Why, proof that you're a pushover of course."

"How will this prove anything?"

"Being a pushover, you'll let it go farther and farther and farther..."

With each word, he got closer to Sayomi's face.

"...Until something...less than legal happens."

Softly and gently, he kissed her neck.

"Stop it...please..."

"If you truly are a pushover, Sayomi-chan...your virginity will be lost tonight."

He whipered to her, mere inches from her face.

"Fuji-kun, this isn't right..."

"Of course it's right. As long as no one finds out, it's right. And no one's going to find out."

"It shouldn't matter if people find out or not. If it's wrong, it's wrong."  
"Don't question my morals, Sayomi-chan. Unless you want something less than legal to happen..."  
"N-no..."

Fuji pinned Sayomi's hands down to the bed, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"I'm kneeling on your legs, pushing your hands down...there's nothing you can do to stop me. You're helpless now."

"What exactly are you planning to do?"

"Everything..."

He whispered in her ear and bit it.

"Ouch!"

"What's the matter? Am I hurting you?"

"A...a little bit..."

"Well if you weren't such a pushover, then maybe you'd assert yourself."

"I'm not a pushover..."

"Talk is cheap, Sayomi-chan. Prove yourself."

"Get off..."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to speak up a little louder..."

"Get off me!"

Fuji leapt off and stood beside the bed, clapping softly.

"Well done, Sayomi-chan. You've now proven to me that you're not a pushover."

"So you _haven't _gone crazy then?"

"No, not at all. I was merely trying to prove a point. Like I said, you'd have let it go farther, and farther..."

"Until something less tha legal happened, I heard you."  
"But you shouted at me. You proved that you're not a pushover."

Fuji smiled sweetly.

"You were pretty brave to have gone through that without shedding a single tear. You've got guts, Sayomi."

"Thanks."

"But you know, I didn't have to be so gentle. I could have been much more agressive and carried out my plan, even after you shouted at me. You truly could have lost your virginity tonight. Or your life."

Fuji pulled a small knife from his back pocket.

"That's really serious. Why'd you do it, Fuji-kun? And why would you even consider doing that? And why do you have a knife in your back pocket?!"

"I wanted to prove a point. That you're a pushover. You didn't seem to listen when others told you, so I thought I'd prove it to you. I wouldn't have considered it, because I'm not that type of person. And the reason I carry a knife in my back pocket...well, I like to scare people."

"But I'm not a pushover..."

"If you weren't a pushover, would you have let this all happen?"

"Um...I still need to get a flashlight."  
"Right, the power. I'm sure Eiji will have it back on soon."

"So it _was_ Eiji..."

Fuji opened the door and allowed Sayomi out of her room. She took a step out, only to find Eiji standing in the doorway.

"Eh? Fuji, why's your shirt off?"

"I told you I had a plan."

"Oh right, your plan. How'd it go?"

Fuji slipped his shirt on.

"Quite well. But it's time to turn the power back on."

"Oh...um...I'm not really sure how I shut it off...or how to get back there..."

"Well first of all, where did you go?"  
"Somewhere in the basement...I think."

"Sayomi-chan, can you show us the way down to the basement?"

"Not without a flashlight."

"Here, you can use my lighter."

Eiji tossed a small lighter towards Sayomi.

"It's amazing how you can throw such a small thing to me and I can catch it...in the dark."

"It's because you're right in front of me."

"Why do you even carry a lighter with you?"  
"Well it's not so I can burn random stuff if that's what you're thinking..."

"Here, you take it. I'm afraid I'll burn myself."

She passed the lighter back to Eiji.

"Oh c'mon, it's not _that_ easy to-ouch!"

"You burnt youself, didn't you?"  
"No..."

"Hm...that flame isn't going to be big enough to be a sufficient light source...we might need a candle."

"I'll go ask Tiffany if she has any."

They walked clumsily back to the living room to find Tiffany.

"Where are the candles?"

"Candles! I should've thought of that!"

"Well Eiji said he shut off the power somewhere in the basement, so we're going downstairs."

"Okay, but I am _not_ going with you. There are candles in that one drawer in the kitchen."

"Alright. The power should be back on soon."


End file.
